U.S. pleads self-defence in Afghan riots

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/U_S_pleads_self_defence_in_Afghan_riots.html?siteSect=143&sid=6767657&cKey=1149088175000

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. troops fired in self defence when a road accident in Kabul triggered a riot, the military said on Wednesday, as Afghan lawmakers demanded the prosecution of a soldier driving a runaway lorry that killed at least five people.

"Our initial investigation ... shows fire came from the crowd, and our soldiers used their weapons to defend themselves," Colonel Tom Collins said, giving the fullest U.S. account so far of events on Monday that led to the worst anti-American riots in the city since the Taliban's ouster in 2001.

Afghan officials say five people were killed by a lorry that the U.S. military maintains suffered brake failure coming down a hill. Seven people were killed in the bloody aftermath.

But Collins, speaking at a news conference, said Afghan ministries had put the number of dead from the accident and riots at 20, and even two days on there was no definitive toll.

[TriSec]

1. Ah, that old chestnut.

Right up there with "I was only following orders."

[flamin lib]

2. I saw one CNN video of the aftermath riots and there was a

50 cal mounted on a Humvee apparently firing into the buildings above the heads of the crowd. I'd hate to be looking out one of the windows, but the buildings were on a hill above the street. If the land were flat the shots would be hitting the third or fourth floor--as it was the impacts were at the very top of the first floor above anyone's head even on the hill.

The convoy had been surrounded at that point and the gunfire was apparently to break up the crowd and allow escape, which it did.

That's the only video I saw.

Still, it's nice to know that things are going so well in Afghanistan with the flowers and candy and all.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. i wonder how many will die in future riots

they really mobilized for the riot fast... it's the first of many big events in Afghanistan.