US, Afghanistan disagree on prosecution of US soldiers

[JURIST] US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Neumann [official profile] has said that US troops cannot be prosecuted under Afghan law, striking a sharp contrast to statements made Thursday by Afghan Deputy Chief Justice Abdul Malik Kamawi that all foreigners who commit a crime in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive] can be prosecuted under Afghan law. Neumann added that the US military never signed an agreement with the Afghan government stating that Afghanistan could prosecute US troops. Both statements come at the heels of a nonbinding resolution [JURIST report] made by the Afghan Parliament Tuesday calling for the prosecution of soldiers involved in a deadly car crash in Kabul on Monday.

A humvee crashed into a line of civilian vehicles, killing five passengers and prompting angry demonstrations [AP report] in the vicinity that led to the deaths of 20 people. US military officials believe that brake failure likely caused the crash. President Bush on Wednesday said that the military would launch an investigation [AP report] into the crash and subsequent riots to see if US soldiers fired at the angry demonstrators. US military officials said Friday that they will cooperate in an Afghanistan probe [AP report] into the humvee crash, which begins Saturday. AP has more.


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