German soldiers killed two civilians Sunday when their van failed to stop as it approached a roadblock near Kunduz, Afghanistan, defence officials said, according to dpa. The peacekeepers' command at Potsdam, near Berlin, said the infantrymen fired warning shots as the van with six occupants approached the barrier, which is near a German base. Officials said the soldiers then fired at the van itself to force it to stop. A youth was killed in the van and one of the three people seriously wounded by the gunfire died while being rushed to a clinic operated by the German provincial reconstruction team in Kunduz. The announcement said the use of firearms was in line with rules of engagement for German soldiers, who are deployed in the north of Afghanistan only.
