"Today we're facing a very regretful, painful fact," Karzai told a media conference, joined by 14-year-old Rafiq-Ullah and his father Mati-Ullah, from Pakistan's troubled Taliban-dominated South Waziristan tribal region.

"A child of Islam that his father had sent to a madrasa for education was tempted by the enemies of Islam to carry out a suicide attack," he said.

"I forgive you," Karzai told the boy -- who was detained in May in eastern Khost province, where the boy said he was sent to carry out a suicide attack on the governor -- giving him 100,000 Afghani (2,000 dollars) to travel back home.

Asked whether he had a message for Pakistan, the Afghan president said Kabul wanted good ties with Islamabad, a key US ally in its 'war on terror.'

"The message of the Afghan people is one of kindness, the message of mercy," he said. "It's the message of having good relations, brotherly relations.

"It's the message for trade and exchange," he added, "not to deceive the children of people and encourage them to carry out suicide attacks, destroying themselves, their families and other Muslims."