Australian troops kill two Afghan children

AFGHANISTAN: Australian soldiers in southern Afghanistan shot dead two children tending cattle, officials said Saturday, in an incident likely to escalate tensions over the conduct of international troops.

Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the campaign against Taliban insurgents, often triggering widespread public anger and harsh criticism from President Hamid Karzai.

The two children, aged seven and eight, were killed on Thursday morning as Australian soldiers fought back after a Taliban attack in Uruzgan province, provincial governor Amir Mohammad Akhundzada told AFP.

"The children were killed by Australian troops, it was a mistaken incident, not a deliberate one," Akhundzada said, adding that insurgents had first shot at a helicopter carrying Australian soldiers.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expressed its "deep regret" over the children's deaths and said it remained committed to minimising civilian casualties.

Last month, 10 Afghan civilians, including five children, were killed by a NATO airstrike in Kunar province.

The bulk of Australia's 1,550 troops are based in the province, and are focused on training and mentoring Afghan soldiers ahead of the withdrawal of NATO combat troops by the end of next year.

AFP