KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- President Hamid Karzai accused Afghan guards working for U.S. coalition forces of killing a provincial police chief and at least four other security officers during a gunbattle outside a government office Monday.

In a harshly worded statement, Karzai demanded that coalition forces hand over the private security guards involved. But the governor of Kandahar later said 41 guards connected to the incident had been disarmed and arrested by Afghan authorities.

The U.S. military said it was not involved in the shooting, calling it an ''Afghan-on-Afghan incident.'' However, Karzai's statement suggested that the security guards sought refuge at a U.S. coalition base after the killings, and he ''demanded that coalition forces prevent such incidents, which weaken the government.''

The situation lays bare the often testy relations between Karzai and American officials. The …