A riot broke out in Kabul today, a per Reuters:
From The Times Online, an eyewitness report:
Mission accomplished!
Security forces opened fire on protesters killing at least eight Afghans on Monday after a fatal road accident involving a U.S. army truck sparked violent demonstrations in the capital.
The truck, part of a U.S. convoy, had crashed into a dozen vehicles, killing five people, according to a statement from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's palace.
A health ministry official said at least eight more people were killed and over 100 wounded during the subsequent protests.
After the accident a furious crowd hurled stones and smashed windows of the convoy vehicles, and one of the besieged U.S. vehicles appeared to fire in the air, according to a U.S. military statement.
Afghan police also opened fire when they came to the assistance of the U.S. troops.
...
A Reuters reporter at the scene saw one man shot dead and several wounded people being taken away, while rioters set alight two police cars. Several television cameramen were beaten by protesters, journalists said.
...
Several hundred more congregated at an intersection leading to the heavily fortified U.S. embassy chanting slogans of "Death to America" and burning American flags.
...
Some demonstrators tore down a billboard poster of Karzai, who is regarded by many Afghans as dependent on U.S. support.
"We don't accept Karzai any more as a president. We protest against him: death to Karzai!" Jaweed Agha, one of the protesters, shouted.
From The Times Online, an eyewitness report:
"We managed to get to within about a half-hour drive of where the accident happened and could hear gunfire. We stopped to ask what was going on.
"The mob crowded around the car and people were shouting: 'Let's get them - let's skin them alive'. We got out of there pretty quickly and as we were leaving we noticed a car was following behind.
...
"I've been in Kabul for nine months and there has never been anything like this before. There is a real feeling in the air that today Kabul changed. There has been a lot of fighting in the south but this has mainly been between the militias and the American forces."
...
"They are angry at the Americans who they see driving around as if they own the place and who appear to have caused this accident and then tried to drive away."
...
"The Americans are saying that this was just one day of unrest, but I was speaking to one guy and he was shouting: 'Death to America - death to Karzai...'
Mission accomplished!