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.
Subscribe to 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.
-
The state of Britain's Armed ForcesThe Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fishUnder the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
-
Sudoku medium: April 21, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
