A NATO raid in an eastern province of Afghanistan resulted in the killing of four children, Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks during a news conference in Kabul (Photo: Reuters/Omar Sobhani) Karzi stated four innocent children were tending to livestock when the attack occured. He went on to condemn the US-led NATO forces for failing to avoid civilian casualties, stating, "Despite repeated pledges by NATO to avoid civilian casualties, innocent lives, including children, are still being lost."

The killing of innocent civilians by US and NATO forces has continued to plague the country through 11 years of military occupation.

A record 3,021 civilians died in the war over the course of last year alone, according to conservative estimates.