man Maj. Sunset Belinsky said. Karzai has previously made strong statements against certain military tactics -- such as night raids -- only to back off from them later. But if Karzai holds to what sounds like an order to international troops to abandon strikes, it could bring the Afghan government in direct conflict with its international allies. "Coalition forces constantly strive to reduce the chance of civilian casualties and damage to structures, but when the insurgents use civilians as a shield and put our forces in a position where their only option is to use airstrikes, then they will take that option," Belinsky said. It is unclear if Karzai has the power to order an end to such strikes. NATO and American forces are in Afghanistan under a United Nations mandate. Negotiations between the United States and the Afghan government on the presence of U.S. forces have become contentious, with Karzai declaring that he will put strict controls on how U.S. troops conduct themselves. "The Afghan people can no longer tolerate these attacks," Karzai told reporters at the presidential palace. Asked what he will do if international forces continue to order strikes on houses, Karzai said: "The Afghan government will be forced to take unilateral action." He did not say what that action would be, but said he plans to discuss it with NATO officials next week. He noted that he has repeatedly told his international allies that civilian deaths from air strikes are unacceptable. "If this is repeated, Afghanistan has a lot of ways of stopping it, but we don't want to go there. We want NATO to stop the raids on its own, without a declaration ... by the Afghan government, because we want to continue to cooperate," he said. Karzai said that NATO forces risk being seen as an "occupying force," using the same phrase that Taliban insurgents use to describe the international coalition. "They must treat Afghanistan as a sovereign nation," Karzai said. At least nine civilians were killed in Saturday's air strike in Helmand province, according to NATO. Afghan officials have said 14 were killed, including at least 10 children and two women. NATO officials have apologized for the strike on two houses in Nawzad district, saying their troops thought the targeted compound housed only insurgents when they ordered the strike. Southwest regional commander U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. John Toolan said that NATO launched the airstrike after an insurgent attack on a coalition