A deadly traffic accident involving U.S. troops sparked a riot in the Afghan capital on Monday, firing on prowith U.S. and Afghan security forces testers, police and witnesses said. At least five people were killed and 60 injured.

Hundreds of protesters marched on the palace of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai in the city center after the incident, shouting "Death to Karzai! Death to America!"

Gunfire was also heard near the U.S. Embassy. The staff was moved to a secure location within the heavily fortified compound, said Chris Harris, an embassy spokesman.

Rioters ransacked several buildings, including a sprawling compound belonging to the international aid group CARE International. Computers were set on fire on the street outside and smoke billowed from inside the buildings, according to an Associated Press reporter.

The reporter also said he saw several demonstrators pull a foreign man from a vehicle and beat him. The man escaped and ran to a line of police, who fired shots over the heads of the demonstrators.

Afghan troops were deployed around Kabul, and two tanks of NATO peacekeepers drove at high speed through the city center. Rioters smashed police guard boxes and set fire to police cars.

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