American troops raked a large passenger bus with gunfire near Kandahar on Monday morning, killing as many as five civilians and wounding 18, Afghan authorities and survivors said. The attack could harm public opinion before perhaps the most important offensive of the war, a campaign that is intended to take control of the Kandahar region from the Taliban this summer.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered around a bus station on the outskirts of Kandahar, shouting anti-US slogans and blocking the road for an hour, according to people in the area.

The US military confirmed the shooting but there were disputes over details, including whether the troops who fired on the bus had first shot flares and warned the driver to stay back. One of the bus passengers and a man who identified himself as the driver said that an American convoy about 70 yards ahead of the bus opened fire as the bus began to pull to the side of the road to allow another military convoy traveling behind to pass. The two convoys and the bus were on the main highway in Sanzari, about 15 miles from Kandahar city.

Troops opened fire on the bus just after daybreak as it was taking dozens of passengers to Nimruz Province, said Zalmy Ayoubi, a spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor.

Some of the wounded were in critical condition, and the toll could rise, local officials said. Ayoubi said five civilians had been killed, including one woman.

The Interior Ministry in Kabul issued a statement saying four civilians had been killed and 18 wounded, blaming "NATO forces" for the shooting.

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