KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- As British troops sped away from a suicide bomb attack that wounded three of their own, witnesses in this southern Afghan city say the soldiers opened fire, sending residents scurrying in fear of their lives.
Within minutes of the Dec. 3 bombing, one civilian lay dead and six wounded from the gunfire -- one of seven times in the last month that NATO forces shot Afghan citizens. Seven people have been killed and 11 injured, eroding public support for the battle against a resurgent Taliban.
NATO says in all the shootings, the soldiers acted in self-defense.
Commanders call the deaths regrettable and label the run of incidents as "coincidence." Both new and experienced troops of different nationalities operating in various regions of Afghanistan have been involved in the shootings.
Foreign troop convoys are coming under increasing attack. Taliban militants exploded more than 100 suicide bombs in the country this year, a more than fivefold increase from 2005, often targeting NATO forces in armored personnel carriers and jeeps.
Most victims of NATO shootings are Afghan civilians -- motorists who have failed to stop when ordered to do so, or people caught in the chaotic aftermath of bombings. The shootings have deepened resentment among Afghans as NATO struggles to contain an insurgency that has found new strength five years after the ouster of the Taliban regime.
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