Afghan demonstrators protested the alleged burning of copies of the Quran by shooting slingshots and firing guns, MSNBC is reporting. The violence occurred outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan, as thousands gathered on February 21, 2012. The U.S. military responded by throwing flares from helicopters, in an effort to disperse the crowd.

The demonstrators began gather the morning after they learned of the alleged burning incident. As they were shouting “Die, die, foreigners,” the top NATO general in Afghanistan, General John Allen, ordered an investigation. He offered sincere apologies in a written statement, adding that any improper handling of the Quran wasn’t intentional.

Rahman Savedkhili, a senior police officer in the Parwan province, said there were about 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators, who were “throwing stones at the base and chanting down with the foreigners.” Zia Ul Rahman, the deputy provincial police chief, added the people are very angry. “Some are firing hunting guns in the air, but there have been no causalities.”

The provincial governor’s spokeswoman, Roshna Khalid, said the Qurans were burned outside Bagram. She cited accounts from local laborers, who said they found the remains of the Qurans they found in the garbage they were collecting.

Allen’s statement added that when the U.S. government learned the Qurans were in a pile of garbage to be burned on the base, the disposal process was burned immediately. “The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religous authorities,” he added.

Written by: Karen Benardello