Civilian casualties
The week's news at a glance.
Kabul
At least eight civilians were killed and 35 wounded in eastern Afghanistan this week, as U.S. Marines fought off an ambush. The Marines were traveling on a busy road that leads to the Pakistani border when a van loaded with explosives rammed their convoy and blew up. Just after the explosion, the Marines said, gunfire came at them from multiple directions. But wounded Afghans said there was no gunfire except from the Marines, who they said shot recklessly as they fled. “They were firing everywhere, and they even opened fire on 14 to 15 vehicles passing on the highway,” said Tur Gul, who was shot in the hand. Protesters shut down the road for hours after the fight, shouting “Down with the U.S.!” Separately, Afghan authorities said that an errant NATO airstrike on a rural compound killed nine people from one family, including several women and children and an elderly man.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions