Aitha, Iraq
A U.S. F-16 dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong house this week, killing at least five Iraqis. Iraqi neighbors said that 14 members of the same family, including seven children, were killed. But U.S. officials said they could not confirm that count, since the brick house was leveled and the victims’ remains all but obliterated. The airstrike was intended to support troops searching for a militant leader in a town near Mosul—Iraq’s third-largest city and an insurgency hotbed. In an unusual admission, military commanders confirmed that the laser-guided bomb had gone astray. The Pentagon said it regretted the loss of “possibly innocent lives.”
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.
-
Received a gift card this holiday season? Here’s how to maximize it.The Explainer Make the most of your present
-
‘Lumpy skin’ protests intensify across France as farmers fight cullIN THE SPOTLIGHT A bovine outbreak coupled with ongoing governmental frustrations is causing major problems for French civil society
-
The best books of 2025The Week Recommends A deep dive into the site of a mass shooting, a new release from the author of ‘Atonement’ and more
