Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill Monday, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the shooting of two Afghan children by a Canadian soldier was a "horrible circumstance" in which a "horrible decision had to be taken."
Canadian troops fired on a car approaching their convoy in Kandahar province Sunday, killing a two-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl.
A gunner, apparently fearing a suicide attack, fired a giant round from a 25-millimetre cannon after the car came too close to the Canadian convoy.
The children, both passengers in the car, were siblings.
The round tore through the girl's skull and left an open wound in the boy's chest, witnesses told The Canadian Press.
The driver of the car, reportedly the children's father, ignored repeated signals to keep away from the convoy, officials said.
He said Canadians need to remember that soldiers in Afghanistan live with the possibility that there "may be a bomb coming (their) way" whenever a car approaches them.
MacKay said that an investigation is underway but reiterated the tough position Canadian soldiers are in.
"There have been no less than 12 Canadians lost as a result of suicide bombings," MacKay said. "This speaks to the despicable tactics used by the Taliban, hiding among the civilian population."
The Canadian Forces issued a statement Monday saying soldiers are trained to safeguard civilians, but must also protect themselves from possible threats.
"We deeply regret this incident, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the deceased during this difficult time," it said in a press release.
"Our soldiers are trained to take all appropriate steps to minimize civilian casualties. However, they must take action to protect themselves when they believe they are being threatened."
Chris Alexander, UN special representative in Afghanistan, said the response to potential Taliban attacks has to be very carefully directed to avoid civilian casualties.
"When innocent people are the victims of that response we know that there has to be investigation, there has to be scrutiny of rules of engagement," he told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Monday. "Everyone has to strive for a better result in the future."
The Afghan ambassador to Canada agreed.
"I urge everyone to look into this very seriously because Afghans have been paying a very dear price," Omar Samad told Â鶹´«Ã½.
Afghan experts say the Taliban are going to see the children's death as a propaganda victory.
Family reaction
At the Kandahar city hospital, the children's mother was frantically pacing the hallways shrieking and cursing foreign soldiers, reports The Canadian Press.
"My innocent children have been killed by foreigners -- for no reason!" said the mother, according to a police officer at the hospital.
Another hospital visitor told The Canadian Press if he was the father of the children, he would personally strap on a suicide vest to get revenge on Canadian troops.
Militants often use civilian cars loaded with explosives to target coalition convoys -- forcing soldiers to make split-second decisions to determine if an attempt is being made.
The police officer at the hospital said the mother can't only blame the soldiers.
"They're not killing civilians in Kabul. Why is that?" Abdul Karim asked rhetorically. "They don't kill them in Kabul because there is peace there. Here, they are scared."
According to Human Rights Watch, at least 300 Afghan civilians have been mistakenly killed by coalition forces in 2007 -- with thousands killed since 2001.
In one incident, Canadian troops killed a 90-year-old man who approached a convoy on a motorbike. The man was a respected political scientist and mentor to President Hamid Karzai.
In another incident, Canadian soldiers shot a young man on a motorbike through his chest. The bullet killed the man's younger brother riding behind him.
Earlier this month, an aerial bombing by U.S. forces wiped out an entire wedding party in eastern Afghanistan. The Afghan government said the bombing killed 47 civilians.
Afghan police and coalition forces are planning a joint investigation into Sunday's incident.
With files from The Canadian Press
