Afghan President Hamid Karzai has denounced an American priest's recent burning of a copy of the Holy Koran and called on US Congress to condemn it, Press TV reported.
Karzai's office said in a Sunday statement that the Afghan president made the demand at a meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of the USA and NATO Troops in Afghanistan.
"The US government, Senate and Congress must clearly condemn [Rev. Jones'] dire action and prevent such incidents [from happening] in the future," the statement quoted Karzai as saying.
Karzai has strongly condemned sacrilegious acts against the Muslim holy book in the United States.
The presidential office also on March 24 described the burning of the holy Koran at a Florida church as "disrespectful and abhorrent."
"President Karzai on behalf of the Muslim people of Afghanistan and on his own behalf denounced the disrespectful and abhorrent act."
Karzai also called on US officials to bring those responsible for the burning of the Muslim holy book to justice.
Meanwhile, anti-US protests are spreading across Afghanistan as people take to the streets to voice their anger against the sacrilege.
In Kandahar Province, at least two policemen were killed and 30 other people were wounded after the anti-US protests turned violent.
The angry demonstrators urged the punishment of those responsible for the desecration of the Holy Koran.
They also set fire to an effigy of US President Barack Obama and demanded American troops leave the country.
"We cannot see the difference between that man in Florida and the American soldiers here," protesters said in Kandahar
"They are killing our people here while in the US they burn the Holy Koran. America just wants to humiliate the Muslim world."
Also on Saturday, 16 people were killed and dozens more were injured during anti-US rallies in Kandahar.
Similar protests have also been staged in the capital, Kabul, and other Afghan provinces including Nangarhar, Laghman, and Balkh.