NATO troops accused of opening fire on civilian bus

NATO troops killed four civilians and wounded 18 others when they fired on a bus in Afghanistan today, the Afghan government has claimed. President Hamid Karzai said that he "strongly condemned" the shooting in the southern city of Kandahar. "Opening fire on a passenger bus is an act against NATO's commitment to protect civilians and is by no means justifiable," he said in a statement. International forces attacked the bus as it approached a NATO convoy early this morning. At least one woman and a child were among those killed in the incident which came as the Afghan Government and NATO attempt a show of unity before a major summer push against the Taliban in Kandahar. The driver of the bus, who gave his name as Esmate and escaped uninjured, said he was about 70 to 100 meters from a military convoy when the shooting started. "They opened fire at us and I fell unconscious. The people who were killed were sitting in the seats just behind me," he told Agence France Press by telephone.