U.N. Staffers Beheaded in Protest of Florida Pastor's Burning of Quran

Florida pastor Terry Jones' oft-delayed burning of a Muslim religious book sparked a deadly guerrilla attack on United Nations staffers Friday in Afghanistan.

The Daily Mail of London reported that at least 10 U.N. staffers were murdered -- two by beheading -- after extremists stormed their compound in northern Afghanistan.

According to the newspaper, the bloody rampage was ignited after word spread of pastor Terry Jones' burning of the Quran on March 21.

The Gainesville area preacher had vowed to conduct a ritual burning of the book last year, but backed amid a storm of publicity. See Sunshine State News story here.

But in an event that was little-noticed in Florida last month, Jones and fellow pastor Wayne Sapp set fire to the text, which burned for 10 minutes.

After Friday's Afghan rampage, Jones said it was time for "Islam to be held accountable."

"We must hold these countries and people accountable for what they have done as well as for any excuses they may use to promote their terrorist activities," Jones told the Daily Mail.

In Afghanistan, meanwhile, the country's top religious scholar, Mawlawi Qyamundin Kashaf, demanded that Jones be tried as a war criminal.

"I forecast such violent protests in Afghanistant in the future unless the U.S. government puts him on trial."