Western troops kill 8 Afghans after attack: Police

Jalalabad (Afghanistan), March 4: Eight Afghan civilians werekilled today when Western troops opened fire after a suicide car-bomberattacked their convoy in the east of the country, police said.

In a separate incident, two NATO soldiers were killed duringcombat operations in the south of the country yesterday, the forcesaid. Their nationalities were not given.

The eight civilians were killed on a main road outside the city of Jalalabad.

''Initial reports indicate that eight civilians have been killedin the firing,'' said provincial police spokesman Abdul Ghafour.

There was no immediate report of any casualties among the foreign troops in the initial suicide bomb attack.

A spokesman for the NATO forces said he had heard about theincident and was checking. Both NATO forces and troops from a separateUS-led coalition operate in the area.

After the shooting, hundreds of people blocked the road in a protest, residents and officials said.

The killing of civilians is highly sensitive for foreign troops and the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

Some analysts say indiscriminate bombing by Western forces andaccidental shootings are feeding resentment of the government and itsforeign allies and even bolster support for the Taliban.

The Taliban have threatened to unleash a spring offensive inAfghanistan in coming weeks after the bloodiest year since their ousterin 2001.

Taliban Warning

The Taliban have been distributing leaflets insouthern Afghanistan in recent days, warning people they were going tolaunch a new offensive and people should stay clear of foreign andAfghan troops, police said.

The one-page leaflet in the Pashto language was distributed in thesouthern town of Spin Boldak, bordering Pakistan, giving advice on howto avoid being caught up in Taliban attacks.

People should keep their distance from gatherings of foreign orAfghan forces and their convoys, and not park their cars or motorcyclesnear foreign troops, it said.

NATO gave no details of the fighting in which two of its soldierswere killed but residents of a violence-plagued district of thesouthern province of Helmand said there had been heavy fighting thereyesterday.

Several people who identified themselves as residents of theSangin district said up to 30 civilians had been killed in NATO bombingin the area.

They said woman and children were among the dead.

A spokesman for NATO in Kabul, Colonel Tom Collins, confirmedthere had been fighting in the area but said to had no reports ofcivilian casualties.

NATO says it does everything it can make sure civilians are not inthe area of their operations, and it will call off attacks if there areany doubts. Nevertheless, accidents happen.

The Taliban say thousands of their fighters, including hundreds ofsuicide bombers, are preparing for an offensive after the weather warmsand the snow melts.

Western forces say they will launch their own spring offensive against the Taliban.

Reuters>