About 1,000 protest outside main US base in Afghanistan after arrests
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-26 16:50

More than 1,000 protesters on Tuesday chanted "Die America!" as they banged on the gates of the main U.S. base in Afghanistan to demand the release of three local villagers detained in a raid.

A few demonstrators threw stones at the base's outer gates, guarded by Afghan soldiers, but they hit the ground and no one was wounded. The outer gate is about 300 meters (600 feet) from the first checkpoint manned by U.S. troops.

The three men who were detained were arrested Monday night in a raid on Dheymullah village, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Bagram base, said local government chief Kaber Ahmad.

"Those three were wanted by the Americans, but no one knows why," he said.

A U.S. military spokeswoman in Kabul said she had no details about the demonstration. A military spokesman at Bagram did not answer his phone.

Stacks of tires were dumped on the main road near the base and burned, sending clouds of black smoke billowing over the area. Demonstrators said they were angry with the Americans for carrying out the raid without first consulting local authorities.

"We have supported the Americans for years. We should be treated with dignity," said Shah Aghar, 35, a local resident. "They are arresting our people without the permission of the government. They are breaking into our houses and offending the people. We are very angry."

The protest came two weeks after four suspected Arab terrorists escaped from the main detention facility at Bagram, sparking a massive manhunt.

Hundreds of local residents are employed at the base to clean, construct buildings and do other jobs and there has been little violence in the area since U.S. forces took control of the base shortly after ousting the Taliban in 2001.

Thousands of U.S. and coalition soldiers live at the base, which is surrounded by several razor-wire fences and areas outside the perimeter remain mined from Afghanistan's civil war and Soviet occupation. Military teams patrol constantly and the main entrance is a series of heavily guarded checkpoint.

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