April 12 - Afghans in Bus Gunned Down by US

On the morning of April 12, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, US soldiers open fired on a bus killing 5 civilians and wounding 18 more. A woman and a child were among the dead, according to local authorities.

“They opened fire at us and I fell unconscious. The people who were killed were sitting in the seats just behind me,” said the bus driver.

"[The soldiers] opened fire for no reason," said witness Gul Mohammad.

Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets in protest after the shooting. The chanted "death to America" while blocking off roads and burning tires. They called for the removal of NATO/US forces from their country and denounced Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“American and NATO troops firing from passing convoys and military checkpoints have killed 30 Afghans and wounded 80 others since last summer, but in no instance did the victims prove to be a danger to troops,” the New York Times has said.

The killings come at a sensitive time for the U.S. military, as it tries to rally support for a planned operation to sweep Kandahar of resistance fighters.