White House backs Gen. Petraeus’ opposition to Koran burning

September 8th, 2010 - 1:43 am ICT by BNO News  

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The White House on Tuesday backed U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus who considers the Koran burning plan “could endanger troops” and cause problems around the world.

“Any type of activity like that puts our troops in harm’s way would be a concern to our administration,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Gen Petraeus, who NATO forces against Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, said. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world, we are engaged with the Islamic community,” he added.

According to reports, Pastor Terry Jones, who heads The Dove World Outreach Center, a 50-member evangelical Christian church in Gainesville, Florida, announced a plan to burn Islamic holy books in a bonfire this Saturday, which marks the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The White House also announced that President Barack Obama on Saturday will be attending a memorial service at the Pentagon to remember the victims of the attacks.

Vice President Biden will be at the World Trade Center site in New York, and First Lady Michelle Obama will be at a ceremony at the Pennsylvania field in which one of the hijacked planes crashed.

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