Australian soldiers in southern Afghanistan shot dead two children tending cattle, local officials said on Saturday as the international coalition launched an inquiry into the incident.
Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led troops have been one of the most contentious issues in the campaign against Taliban insurgents, fuelling public anger and often triggering 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 southern Uruzgan province, said provincial governor Amir Mohammad Akhundzada.
A spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul said he was unable to confirm details. “We are aware of the reports and we take all such reports very seriously,” he said. “An incident assessment team in Uruzgan is now there looking into it.”
In a recent case of civilian deaths, on 13 February, 10 Afghan civilians, including five children, were killed by a NATO airstrike in Kunar province. Following the attack, Karzai barred Afghan forces from seeking air support from foreign troops in a bid to curb civilian casualties.