Brake failure blamed for deadly Kabul crash

By Daniel Cooney

KABUL -- A road crash that sparked deadly anti-American rioting in Kabul on Monday occurred because a military truck lost its brakes coming down a hill and plowed into a line of cars, the U.S. military said yesterday.

Chanting "Death to America," rioters on Monday stoned the U.S. convoy involved in the accident, then headed to the centre of Kabul, ransacking offices of international aid groups and searching for foreigners. Smoke billowed from burning buildings.

The death toll from the unrest rose to 11, most of them from gunshot wounds, according to three city hospitals. More than 100 people were wounded.

Up to five people were killed in the accident, but it wasn't clear whether those deaths were among the tolls the hospitals reported.

Military spokesman Col. Tom Collins, in explaining the cause of the traffic accident, said the truck's brakes "apparently overheated and failed" as it came down the long hill.

"The driver, very experienced in the operation of this type of vehicle, a heavy cargo truck, applied the primary and emergency brakes and took evasive action to avoid hitting pedestrians," Collins said.

The truck hit several unoccupied parked cars in an effort to slow, but it wasn't enough, and the truck hit occupied vehicles at an intersection, he said.

The military will compensate the victims or their families, Collins said, adding that a full investigation was still underway.

The crash sparked the worst riots across Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Hundreds of Afghan and coalition troops took up positions around the capital yesterday to prevent further unrest, and the city of four million was calm as stores reopened and residents went to work.

The rioters claimed U.S. troops had shot and killed civilians at the scene of the accident.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition confirmed there was gunfire but said coalition personnel in one military vehicle only fired over the crowd.

President Hamzid Karzai went on television Monday night to decry the violence, branding the rioters as troublemakers who should be resisted.

About 2,000 troops prowled the city to enforce an overnight curfew, which passed without incident, said Gen. Zahir Azimi, the Defence Ministry spokesman.

"The army has control of the city. We have tanks in the city for the first time," he said.

As the violence eased late Monday, embassies sent out convoys of armoured vehicles to pick up their nationals from homes and buildings and bring them to foreign military bases where they spent the night.

-- Associated Press

Brake failure blamed for deadly Kabul crash

By Daniel Cooney

KABUL -- A road crash that sparked deadly anti-American rioting in Kabul on Monday occurred because a military truck lost its brakes coming down a hill and plowed into a line of cars, the U.S. military said yesterday.

Chanting "Death to America," rioters on Monday stoned the U.S. convoy involved in the accident, then headed to the centre of Kabul, ransacking offices of international aid groups and searching for foreigners. Smoke billowed from burning buildings.

The death toll from the unrest rose to 11, most of them from gunshot wounds, according to three city hospitals. More than 100 people were wounded.

Up to five people were killed in the accident, but it wasn't clear whether those deaths were among the tolls the hospitals reported.

Military spokesman Col. Tom Collins, in explaining the cause of the traffic accident, said the truck's brakes "apparently overheated and failed" as it came down the long hill.

"The driver, very experienced in the operation of this type of vehicle, a heavy cargo truck, applied the primary and emergency brakes and took evasive action to avoid hitting pedestrians," Collins said.

The truck hit several unoccupied parked cars in an effort to slow, but it wasn't enough, and the truck hit occupied vehicles at an intersection, he said.

The military will compensate the victims or their families, Collins said, adding that a full investigation was still underway.

The crash sparked the worst riots across Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Hundreds of Afghan and coalition troops took up positions around the capital yesterday to prevent further unrest, and the city of four million was calm as stores reopened and residents went to work.

The rioters claimed U.S. troops had shot and killed civilians at the scene of the accident.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition confirmed there was gunfire but said coalition personnel in one military vehicle only fired over the crowd.

President Hamzid Karzai went on television Monday night to decry the violence, branding the rioters as troublemakers who should be resisted.

About 2,000 troops prowled the city to enforce an overnight curfew, which passed without incident, said Gen. Zahir Azimi, the Defence Ministry spokesman.

"The army has control of the city. We have tanks in the city for the first time," he said.

As the violence eased late Monday, embassies sent out convoys of armoured vehicles to pick up their nationals from homes and buildings and bring them to foreign military bases where they spent the night.

-- Associated Press