News Service from House Harris

ASIA: NATO Forces kill four civilians in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec 12 AP - NATO troops fired on a civilian bus on Friday in central Afghanistan that refused warnings to stop, killing four passengers, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The troops were on a foot patrol near a major highway when the bus started veering toward them, the force said. The bus kept coming after the troops fired warning shots in the air and after they fired into the engine block, so they fired directly on the bus in self-defence, ISAF said.

The governor of central Wardak province had previously said the bus was caught in the crossfire of a battle between US forces and insurgents.

The NATO force, which does not identify the nationality of troops in such incidents, said the patrol came under fire on Friday morning, but that occurred separately from the bus incident.

Wardak governor Halim Fidai said at least 10 other passengers were wounded. ISAF said the wounded were evacuated to military hospitals.

The bullet-ridden bus had been moved to the side of the road by the afternoon, and US troops cordoned off the area, according to an AP cameraman on the scene. The windows of the blue bus were shattered.

The shootout happened in Wardak's Sayed Abad district, about 65 km south of Kabul.

The NATO military force said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.