U.S. Troops May Have Fired at Kabul Crowd

The U.S. military is investigating the possibility that soldiers fired into a crowd of Afghans at the scene of a fatal traffic accident that sparked a day of rioting here this week.

"There are indications, as part of our initial investigation, that coalition soldiers did in fact use their weapons in self-defense," Col. Tom Collins, a spokesman for U.S. forces here, said on Wednesday.

Witnesses say the crowd was trying to prevent the troops from leaving the scene to ensure that victims were compensated and that police had time to investigate the accident and arrest anyone responsible. They also say some military vehicles drove over people and crashed into shops in their hurry to leave.