BBC: President Barack Obama has described as "outrageous" the killings in Afghanistan triggered by the burning of a Koran in the US last month.
Mr Obama said the desecration of any holy text was "an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry", but it did not justify killing innocent people.
An attack on a UN base on Friday in the city of Mazar-e Sharif killed 14 people, seven of them UN staff.
A top UN official has blamed the pastor who burnt the Koran for the violence.
At least 10 people were killed and many more were injured in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday in a second day of protests.
'No justification'
During a service at the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida on 20 March, Pastor Wayne Sapp soaked a Koran in kerosene, staged a "trial" during which the Islamic holy book was found guilty of "crimes against humanity", and then set it alight.
The incident took place under the supervision of Pastor Terry Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.
In a statement published on Saturday evening, Mr Obama extended his condolences to the families of those killed by the protesters in Afghanistan.
"The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry," he said. "However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity.
"No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonourable and deplorable act." » | Sunday, April 03, 2011
