German troops kill 5 Afghan soldiers

German troops based in north Afghanistan mistakenly killed at least five Afghan soldiers, Nato forces said yesterday, hours after the Germans lost three of their own soldiers in a gunfight with insurgents. A statement from Nato said on Friday evening a unit of German soldiers was approached by two unmarked civilian vehicles which failed to stop when troops signalled them "using a variety of methods" in the northern province of Kunduz. "The force eventually fired on the vehicles killing at least five Afghan soldiers," Nato-led forces said in a statement.