Canadian troops aware of precautions to prevent civilian casualties: MacKay

The air strike last Friday on a village in Herat province is believed to have killed 60 children along with 15 women and 15 men, Afghan and UN officials said. But the U.S. military stood by its account that 25 militants and five civilians were killed.

The latest casualties prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to order a review of the way foreign troops operate in the country.

"Canadian troops are fully aware of all precautions that have to be pursued as we carry out this mission," McKay said during a news briefing. He and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty were in Kandahar for a two-day visit.

"We have tremendous confidence and faith in our leadership here in Afghanistan," MacKay said.

His comments came a day after Karzai ordered his ministries to regulate the presence of foreign troops. Afghan authorities want to end air strikes on civilian targets as well as unco-ordinated house searches, and the illegal detention of Afghan civilians.

During the news conference with MacKay, Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said any changes to the rules of engagement would not endanger the lives of foreign troops.

Still, he said, everyone must "exercise more caution."

These "unfortunate" incidents can be prevented "by using much more of our intelligence, doing a better analysis and also integrating our planning and also bringing much closer our operational cohesiveness together" Wardak said.

Canada is investing in new technologies, like small unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance drones, that would help its troops find the right targets, MacKay said after taking part in a demonstration launch at Kandahar Airfield.

"Having these eyes in the sky to locate the Taliban, to see, in some instances, where they're making these IEDs (improvised explosive devices) that are having such a horrific effect on the troops and the civilian population. Having that type of technology in theatre, we think, is going to help us accomplish many of our goals," he said.

While Canada does not have its own air force in Afghanistan, it is not uncommon for Canadian troops to call in coalition planes to conduct air strikes during Canadian-led operations.

Last week, Canadian troops kicked off Operation Timis Preem with a B1 bomber strike on an underground bunker believed to be an insurgent command and control centre responsible for producing many of the IEDs used to attack vehicles along Kandahar's main highway.

Air strikes were called in numerous times during the three-day operation.

The troops had special permission to "engage fighting age males" in the area known as a hotbed for insurgents regardless of whether they were armed. But a de-briefing after the operation indicated Canadian soldiers had shown restraint in the field.

"We're very good at pulling the trigger when someone is shooting back at us. We're not very good at shooting back when they're not," a commanding officer said.

It was not clear whether any civilians were hurt or killed during the operation, which was believed to have resulted in some 40 insurgent deaths, including several Taliban commanders.

But Canadian troops have accidentally killed civilians before.

Just last month, two young children were killed when Canadian troops fired on a vehicle that failed to heed their warning to stay back.

Civilian casualties have long been a major source of friction between Karzai and his western backers. Afghan officials say civilian deaths create a rift between the government and the people that Taliban and other anti-government forces use as leverage to turn villagers away from the government.

According to an Associated Press tally, 705 civilians have been killed this year: 536 by militants, and 158 by international forces; 11 civilians have died in cross fire. The numbers do not include figures from the Herat battle and likely do not account for all civilian deaths this year.

U.S. and NATO officials say they take great care in their targeting but also accuse the militants of hiding in civilian homes and using Afghans as human shields.

MacKay used his visit to announce a plan to spend $16 million to establish a staff and language training centre for junior officers of the Afghan National Army in Kabul.

He and Flaherty met with the troops, Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan and Canada's civilian representative in Kandahar to discuss diplomacy as well as development and reconstruction issues.

It was also an opportunity to meet with Kandahar's new Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi who took office earlier in the month

Raufi replaced Asadullah Khalid who was dismissed amid allegations of corruption and prisoner abuse - accusations he has vehemently denied.

- With files from The Associated Press.