A series of U.S. airstrikes kills at least 30 Afghan civilians, including 16 children, in Garmsir District, Helmand Province. Additional civilians were left injured or buried in the rubble. The target of the strikes was a suspected Taliban compound. The United States' strategy aims to push the Taliban into talks. (Reuters)
At least 10 people are killed and 19 are wounded in an attack on a compound of the G4S security contracting company in the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban's strategy seeks to strengthen its position before any formal negotiations. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
A chain reaction of exploding trucks triggered by a blast during the delivery of acetylene gas at a chemical plant in Zhangjiakou, China, kills 23 people and injures at least 22 others. (Reuters)