NEWSAfghan president condemns killing of civilians by U.S. military forces
KABUL, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the recent killing of civilians by U.S. soldiers and ordered an immediate investigation into it, an official statement said on Monday.
President Karzai strongly denounced the U.S. firing on civilians which killed 10 persons in the eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, said the statement issued by the Afghan Presidential Palace.
A U.S. military convoy serving under coalition forces came under a suicide bombing attack on Torkham-Jalalabad road, provoking the troops to fire at locals on the road.
The U.S. military said the soldiers fought in self-defense as they were attacked by militant fire from several directions after the blast. It said eight Afghan civilians were killed and 35 injured in the fire.
In the statement, Karzai also condemned the suicide attack on coalition forces, saying the enemies of Afghanistan, a phrase used to refer to Taliban militants, were trying to sabotage this country's stability.
Karzai ordered compensation to the victims' families, and demanded a thorough investigation into the deadly incident.