Bush calls Karzai, promises probe into Kabul firing

The Afghan Parliament had late on Tuesday approved a motion calling for the government to prosecute US troops responsible for the traffic accident. But in Kabul, US-led coalition spokesman Tom Collins said today an initial investigation showed that troops opened fire in ‘‘self-defence’’.

Afghan officials had told the coalition that 20 people were killed and 160 wounded in the accident and subsequent rioting, he said, giving a new toll for the day’s events.

‘‘Our initial investigations show that fire came from the crowd and our soldiers used their weapons to defend themselves,’’ Collins maintained. He said it was too early to tell if the soldiers had shot into the crowd as well as above it. Witnesses said they saw gunfire from US soldiers kill four people.