US troops fired in self defence when a road accident in Kabul triggered a riot, the military said today, as Afghan lawmakers demanded the prosecution of a soldier driving a runaway truck 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 US 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 truck that the US military say suffered brake failure coming down a hill. Seven people were killed in the bloody aftermath.
But Col Collins, speaking at a news conference, said Afghan ministries had told the US military the total number of dead from the accident and riots was 20, and even two days on there was no definitive toll.
Lawmakers in Afghanistan's fledgling parliament issued a call, after a special closed door session on Tuesday, for the prosecution of any US soldier responsible for the crash, as well as the prosecution of people who led the riots.
The call by the lower house, however is not binding on the government.
The driver of the truck is back at his base pending an investigation but is not in custody.
Collins described him as an experienced driver who had tried to take the momentum off his runaway truck by steering into parked vehicles, and avoiding pedestrians, but ultimately failed to prevent his truck from hitting cars at an intersection.
Compensation is being offered to victims' families, he said.