Kabul - An Afghan woman and two children were killed and four more children were injured as German soldiers opened fire on a civilian vehicle in the northern province of Kunduz, Afghan police said Friday. Abdul Rahman Aqtash, security chief of the provincial police department, said the incident took place Thursday evening in Kharooti village, just outside Kunduz city.
"When the vehicle did not stop after several signals, the German forces opened fire at the car," Aqtash said.
"When the forces later checked the vehicle, they found two children and a woman dead and four other children wounded in the vehicle," he said.
Aqtash said German army, Afghan National Army and Afghan police forces had set up the checkpoint in the area after receiving information that a vehicle smuggling drugs into neighbouring Takhar province would pass through.
"First, a vehicle approached the checkpoint but escaped when the forces tried to stop it," Aqtash said. "The forces opened fire at the second vehicle, which was driving behind the first one and did not heed repeated signals by the forces."
In Kabul, ISAF confirmed the deaths of three civilians but said that only two other civilians were wounded. An investigation was underway, it said.
"ISAF soldiers fired warning shots in a safe direction away from the vehicles but were eventually forced to fire at the first vehicle when it refused to stop, fearing an insurgent attack," it said.
"ISAF soldiers are trained to take the appropriate steps to minimize civilian casualties," it said, adding, "However, they must take action to protect themselves when threatened."
In Berlin, German Defence Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said that two civilian vehicles approaching the checkpoint had failed to heed clear signals from the troops manning the checkpoint and the security forces had then opened fire.
He said it was not clear whether it was the German troops or the Afghan security personnel who had opened fire.
On Wednesday, a German soldier was killed in a roadside bombing in the Chardara district of Kunduz province. Three others were injured when a remote-controlled bomb blew up their armoured vehicle.
More than 3,500 German soldiers are serving with ISAF, stationed mostly in northern provinces. ISAF has about 53,000 soldiers from about 40 countries in Afghanistan.
