NATO Apologises after Two Afghan Boys Killed

NATO troops on patrol in Afghanistan

BBC

The NATO-led ISAF force has apologised for the deaths of two Afghan boys, killed when a helicopter fired on them, mistaking them for insurgents.

The boys, aged under seven, were killed last month in rural Uruzgan province, reports the BBC.

ISAF commander, Gen Joseph Dunford said the mission took "full responsibility" for an incident he said was a tragedy.

Analysts say civilian deaths enrage the Afghan people and President Karzai, who recently stopped his troops calling in foreign airstrikes in built-up areas.

That move came after a February 13 incident where a NATO airstrike requested by Afghan forces killed 10 people, including five women and four children.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, in Kabul, says the president has demanded time and time again that NATO forces take more care and prevent such incidents from occurring.

The AFP news agency reported that it was Australian troops which shot the two boys, after coming under attack from the Taliban in that area.

The governor of Uruzgan, Amir Mohammad Akhundzada, was quoted by AFP as saying: "The children were killed by Australian troops, it was a mistaken incident, not a deliberate one."

Australian forces, who are deployed in Uruzgan, said earlier there had been an "operational incident" in the province but gave no details.

An ISAF and Afghan investigation team met local leaders following the incident.

Gen Dunford's statement added: "I am committed to ensuring we do the right thing for the families of those we harmed, as well as for the community in which they lived."