Afghan parliament wants US troops prosecuted for crash

KABUL, May 31 (Reuters) Afghanistan's parliament has called for the prosecution of any US soldier responsible for a truck crash that killed at least five Afghans on Monday and sparked the worst anti-U.S. riots in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban.

The decision -- reached during a special closed-door session of the lower house yesterday -- received overwhelming backing from law-makers, Mohammad Hasib Noori, a media official in the fledgling parliament told Reuters today.

The U.S. military says the accident was caused by brake failure as the truck descended a hill. The driver of the truck is back at his base pending an investigation but is not in custody.

Both the Afghan police and U.S. troops opened fire after a furious crowd gathered around a convoy of which the runaway truck had been part. At least seven more people were killed in unrest after the accident.

REUTERS SHB PC1900