Kabul – Afghanistan wants NATO to put on public trial those who burned copies of the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic materials at a US military base in the country’s northern province of Parwan.

“NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators...promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible,” read a statement released by the Afghan presidential office on Thursday.

The report comes as Afghan President Hamid Karzai had earlier accused a US officer of ‘ignorantly’ burning copies of Holy Qur’an at the US-run Bagram Airbase, located 11 kilometers (7 miles) southeast of the city of Charikar in the province.

The presidential statement said on Thursday that the American officer had acted ‘out of ignorance and with poor understanding’ of the importance of Holy Qur’an.

It added that an investigation into the Qur’an burning would most likely be concluded later on Thursday.