Oruzgan, Afghanistan
Afghan villagers said at least 40 people, mostly women, died after a bomb hit a wedding celebration in southern Afghanistan this week. The Pentagon said that while one of its B-52s did send a 2,000-pound bomb astray in that area, officials were not sure whether the civilians were killed by the bomb or by enemy anti-aircraft guns. Initial reports suggested that U.S. forces might have mistaken celebratory gunfire at the wedding for hostile fire. But soldiers said they were being targeted directly. “I don’t know what was going on in this village,” U.S. military spokesman Col. Roger King said, “except there were people shooting at coalition forces with heavy-caliber machine guns.” The U.S. military and the Afghan government are investigating.
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.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
