Protestors stormed a United Nations compound in Afghanistan Friday reportedly killing eight foreign workers. The attack took place in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Two of the workers were beheaded and a guard tower was torn down. Parts of the facility were also set on fire. A spokesman for the U.N. would not confirm the numbers or nationalities of the victims, but the mission chief, who was wounded, said they were from Norway, Sweden and Romania. If the number of dead is correct the attack would be the worst ever suffered by the organization during the Afghan conflict.

The protests were organized in response to the burning of the Koran over the weekend by Pastor Terry Jones. It is unclear if the attack was part of the insurgency. Public outrage over civilian casualties and the recent publishing of photos of U.S. soldiers posing with the body of an Afghan teen may have contributed to the violence.