Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday condemned a NATO helicopter strike in which two brothers, both under seven years old, were shot dead

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday condemned a NATO helicopter strike in which two brothers, both under seven years old, were shot dead.
  
The two boys were tending livestock and collecting firewood in the southern province of Uruzgan when they were killed on Thursday in an incident that drew an abject apology from the NATO-led coalition.
  
Civilian deaths caused by international forces have often triggered outrage in Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, and Karzai said that the latest incident highlighted errors in how the insurgents are being tackled.
  
"The government has repeatedly stressed that the war on terrorism cannot succeed in Afghan villages and homes, but rather in its sanctuaries and safe havens outside our borders," Karzai said in a clear reference to Pakistan.
  
The president said he was deeply grieved over the deaths and offered his condolences to the boys' family.
  
Uruzgan governor Amir Mohammad Akhundzada had blamed Australian soldiers for the incident. "We have sent a delegation to investigate and find out what exactly had happened," Abdullah Hemat told AFP. "They were kids herding their animals and collecting firewood. It is not clear whether they were killed by Australians or Americans."
  
As usual, NATO-led coalition apologized over the children's deaths, saying its troops had opened fire at what they ‘believed’ were ‘insurgent forces’.