The United States military said yesterday/ on Monday that it was disciplining US troops after copies of the Koran were burnt, provoking outrage in Afghanistan earlier this year.

The administrative punishments - which could include reductions in rank or forfeiture of pay - fall short of criminal prosecution, and it was unclear whether they would satisfy Afghani demands for justice. Afghani President Hamid Karzai earlier this year branded the US Marine's actions as "inhuman", and he initially called for the soldiers to be tried publicly over the incident.