KABUL, Afghanistan — An American military convoy patrolling in Kandahar opened fire on a car carrying Afghan civilians on Saturday, killing four and wounding three others, according to a NATO military spokesman and the office of the governor of Kandahar Province.
The spokesman for international forces in Afghanistan, Lt. j.g. Tommy Groves, said the troops motioned for the car to stop as it approached, but when it continued to drive toward the convoy, the soldiers opened fire. The troops “tried to signal the fast-approaching vehicle, but fearing their safety, they fired,” he said, adding that the international force was investigating the shooting.
The commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has ordered his troops to do everything possible to prevent civilian casualties, which have undermined popular support for international troops here.
In the aftermath of some of the recent bombings by the coalition forces, including those of two fuel trucks near Kunduz, which resulted in dozens of civilian casualties, General McChrystal has berated his generals for being too quick to fire.
According to Zalmai Ayoubi, the press officer for the governor of Kandahar, two women, a child and a young man were killed. Two other women and a man were wounded and were sent to the local hospital, he said.
The government of President Hamid Karzai has ordered the security forces to investigate and report to his office as soon as possible.
Separately, the death of a British soldier was confirmed Thursday by the British Defense Ministry. He was on patrol in Helmand Province and died from wounds from a homemade bomb.
