KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Rooters) - At least eight people were killed in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Sunday in a suicide car bombing against NATO troops and subsequent gunfire by soldiers, police and witnesses said. Three civilians died when the bomber struck a military convoy and five more were shot by troops afterwards, they said.NATO said three of its soldiers were wounded in the attack for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.
Asked about the accounts of troops shooting civilians, NATO spokesman Major Luke Knittig said: "We will establish the facts. It is still unclear in what way the troops reacted."
The Ministry of Defense said the three injured soldiers were British Royal Marines commandoes. It said one was seriously wounded and the others were in stable condition.
"The convoy was attacked by a suspected suicide bomber in a vehicle, who attempted to ram the British vehicles. A number of Afghan civilians were also injured in the blast and at least two were killed," the ministry said. "This was a typically indiscriminate attack from the Taliban, who didn't care if they killed or injured innocent Afghans around our forces," British task force spokesman Lt. Col. Andy Price said in the statement, released in London.