AP Reports on Ambush: "US Troops Shot at Civilians"

Sun, Mar 4, 2007 at 9:05:25 am PST

Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez reports on an incident in Afghanistan, in which civilians apparently were caught up in a terrorist ambush on US Marines; in their headline, the AP emphasizes the anti-US claims, of course: Afghans: U.S. troops shot at civilians. (Hat tip: cbinflux.)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - U.S. Marines fleeing a militant ambush Sunday opened fire on civilian cars and pedestrians on a busy highway in eastern Afghanistan, wounded Afghans said. Up to 16 people were killed and 34 wounded in the violence, officials said.

A suicide attacker detonated an explosives-filled minivan as the American convoy approached, then militant gunmen fired on the troops inside the vehicles, who returned fire, the U.S. military said.

As the Americans sped away, they treated every car and person along the highway as a potential attacker, said Mohammad Khan Katawazi, the district chief of Shinwar. But Maj. William Mitchell, a U.S. military spokesman, said those killed and injured may have been shot by the militants.

More than a half dozen Afghans recuperating from bullet wounds told The Associated Press that the U.S. forces fired indiscriminately along at least a six-mile stretch of one of eastern Afghanistan’s busiest highways — a route often filled not only with cars and trucks but Afghans on foot and bicycles.

I’m surprised the nutroots blogosphere isn’t screaming about this yet; but give them a few hours, and you can be sure they will.

UPDATE at 3/4/07 9:21:22 am:

Right on cue, here come the Kos Kidz: Daily Kos: OOOOOps. I did it again! Afghanis murdered...

Don’t forget, though—they support the troops. And they’re really patriotic, even though it may not seem that way.