In Afghanistan, the nation’s Interior Ministry has revealed civilian casualties jumped by 33 percent in a recent month-long period. One hundred seventy-three civilian deaths were reported between March 21 to April 21. Afghanistan said militants were responsible for the majority of the deaths but that an increasing number are at the hands of US and foreign forces. Last week the French military acknowledged its troops mistakenly killed four Afghan civilians and seriously injured one during a clash with militants near Kabul on April 6.