52 Confess to Riot-Related Wrongdoing, Afghan Says

The nation’s intelligence chief said Wednesday that authorities were still holding about 141 people arrested after a riot that killed about 20 people last week. Fifty-two have confessed to crimes, Amrullah Saleh said at a news conference.

More than 250 Afghans were arrested after the May 29 riot, which was sparked by a fatal crash involving a U.S. military vehicle. Saleh said that gunmen had forced some people to participate in the violence and that authorities had identified 10 people who led or encouraged the demonstrators.

The crash, which killed up to five people, was caused by a U.S. military truck whose brakes failed, the U.S. military has said.

Meanwhile, U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Tamara D. Lawrence confirmed that two coalition soldiers killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan were Americans. The soldiers were in an armored Humvee in Nangarhar province when the bomb exploded. A U.S. soldier and an Afghan interpreter were wounded.