The officer that order them burned. And before you start it, think this and the picture stuff has been a constant scar on the military over there. So how anyone would not think that the fertilizer would not hit the ventilation system over this is beyond me. Who told about it anyway.
I agree with you. Whoever ordered the burning and didn't foresee the possible consequences was not thinking clearly. Even if they didn't know at first that the pile of books contained a Koran, they should have had someone check. Apparently the story came out because an Afghan laborer at the base was helping with the burning.
Of course it's not this officer who directly killed Corporal Conrad, but if part of our effort in Afghanistan is to win hearts and minds, then this was a very serious error.