Berlin  - The shots that killed three Afghan civilians at a checkpoint on Friday were probably fired by Germans, not Afghan security personnel, the German armed forces said in Berlin several hours later as an inquiry into the incident continued.

"According to what we know now, evidence has been obtained at the scene suggesting that the shots fired at the vehicle came from German guns," the armed forces website in Germany said.

"Whether shots were fired from the other side towards the vehicle has yet to be conclusively established."

An Afghan woman and two children were killed and four more children were injured as German soldiers opened fire on the car when it failed to stop in the northern province of Kunduz, Afghan police said earlier Friday.

Both Afghans and Germans were manning the checkpoint.

The armed forces said, "There are no grounds at the present time to accuse any of the German soldiers of wrongdoing." It said civilian prosecutors in Potsdam near Berlin had been informed of the incident and had opened a routine inquiry into the matter.

German law allows the prosecution of German citizens for acts that happen anywhere in the world. (dpa)