The following report compiles all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan from the past seven days. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information. The report includes government claims of insurgent casualty figures, but in most cases these cannot be independently verified by The Times. Similarly, the reports do not include Taliban claims for their attacks on the government unless they can be verified. Both sides routinely inflate casualty totals for their opponents.

At least nine pro-government forces and 11 civilians were killed in Afghanistan over the last week of fighting, during which only four attacks were carried out on government forces. The 20 verified deaths marked the lowest count in a single week since September 2018, when The Times started tracking casualties of pro-government forces and civilians. The Taliban implemented an unannounced cease-fire to observe three days of Eid al-Adha. The deadliest attack of the week took place in Paktia Province, in the Kolalgo area of Zurmat District, where 11 civilians were killed in a night raid carried out by special forces of the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s intelligence agency. Most of those killed were students or government employees who were visiting relatives. One was an employee of the Education Ministry and a second had recently gotten engaged to a third-year medical student in Kabul.

[Read the Afghan War Casualty Report from previous weeks.]

Aug. 15 Ghor Province: two pro-government militia members killed

The Taliban attacked pro-government militia members in Qotos village of Firozkoh, the provincial capital, killing two and taking two others prisoner, both of whom had been collecting their wheat harvest.

Aug. 14 Herat Province: one pro-government militia member killed

While traveling to the district center in Chesht-e-Sharif District, one pro-government militia member was taken prisoner by the Taliban and later killed in the village of Shirkhage.