NATO Troops Accidentally Kill 2 Afghan Boys

[HuffingtonPost]

KABUL, March 2 (Reuters) - NATO said on Saturday its forces  had accidentally shot dead two Afghan boys, in the latest of a  series of reports of civilian deaths at the hands of  international troops.                

The shooting in the southern province of Uruzgan could  further strain the relationship between the NATO-led  International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan  President Hamid Karzai, who has demanded U.S. special forces  leave another province over allegations of torture.                

The two boys were shot dead when they were mistaken for  insurgents during an operation in northwest Uruzgan on Feb. 28,  ISAF commander, U.S. General Joseph Dunford, said in a  statement.                

"I offer my personal apology and condolences to the family  of the boys who were killed," Dunford said.                

"The boys were killed when Coalition forces fired at what  they thought were insurgent forces," he said, adding that a team  of Afghan and ISAF investigators visited the village on Saturday  and met local leaders.                

The area, Lowar-e-Dowahom, was often patrolled by  international troops, a spokesman for provincial governor Amir  Mohammad Akhundzada said.                

"They saw two young children who were apparently listening  to a radio and they shot them - it is not yet clear why," the  spokesman said.                

Australian forces deployed in Uruzgan said earlier there had  been an "operational incident" in the province's northwest but  gave no details except that no soldiers were harmed.                

On Feb. 13 a NATO air strike requested by Afghan forces  killed 10 people - including five children and four women - in  the eastern province of Kunar, prompting Karzai to ban his  troops from requesting foreign air strikes.                

Two weeks later he halted all special forces operations in  the central province of Wardak after a series of allegations  involving U.S. special forces soldiers and Afghan men said to be  working with them.      (Reporting by Mirwais Harooni, Ismail Sameem and Dylan Welch;  Editing by Andrew Roche)

Via: HuffingtonPost