Riot Act

Afghanistan, judging by its lack of coverage these days, apparently is a success story in the War On Terra.

Or not.

At least seven people have been killed in the Afghan capital Kabul after a traffic accident involving a US military convoy sparked mass rioting.

Hundreds of anti-US protesters clashed with Afghan security forces for two hours, in one of the worst riots since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001.

The protesters moved on to attack buildings in the diplomatic quarter.

There are conflicting reports over whether the US troops in the military convoy fired into the crowd.

Even giving the benefit of the doubt and presuming it to be just an honest accident that sparked the ensuing violence, and even assuming that said violence was deliberately incited by pro-Taliban forces, this still does not bode well for the overall attitude of the Afghan populace. Perhaps we should have put a little more effort into securing this country and getting the people working at something besides producing heroin, before running off to chase shadows in Iraq.

The unrest began after a US military vehicle apparently lost control and smashed into at least 12 civilian cars during morning rush-hour in Kabul's northern suburbs.

Coalition spokesman Col Thomas Collins said a large cargo truck in the US convoy had suffered a mechanical failure, hitting the cars at a busy intersection.

"This was a tragic accident and we deeply regret any deaths or injuries resulting from this incident," he said, adding that a full investigation was under way.

Yeah. Ask Pat Tillman's family about what a "full investigation" entails.