Thousands of Afghan students blocked a highway and threatened attacks on foreign troops on Sunday in the latest protest against the reprinting of a cartoon of the noble Prophet Mohammad in Danish papers.

Sunday's protest near the city of Jalalabad on the highway leading to Pakistan followed violent demonstrations a day earlier in the western city of Herat against the cartoon and a film on the noble Quran by a right wing Dutch politician.

Chanting anti-Western slogans, the marchers in Jalalabad burnt Danish and Dutch flags demanding the cartoonist and the politician, who plans to release his film this month, be put on trial.

"If our demands are not fulfilled, we will stage more protests and resort to suicide attacks against the foreigners," said Ibrahim, a university student.

The demonstrators also demanded Kabul freeze its ties with the Dutch and Danish governments and expel troops from the two countries who operate under NATO's command in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has called the reprinting of the cartoon an attack against Islam.

PHOTO CAPTION 

Protesters burn Danish and Dutch flags during a demonstration in Kunar province March 8, 2008.

Reuters