Afghans have rioted for a second day over the burning of a Koran in the US, killing nine people in Kandahar and injuring more than 80 in a wave of violence that underscored rising anti-foreign sentiment after nearly a decade of war.

At least five civilians have been killed in southern Afghanistan during a protest against a US church’s burning of the Muslim holy book.

Thousands of Afghans were protesting today over suspended plans by a small American church to burn the Koran.