Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Traffic Police has reported that 117 traffic accidents occurred across the country over a five-day period from Friday to Tuesday, coinciding with the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha holidays.

According to an official statement, these incidents resulted in 43 fatalities and 158 injuries. The deceased include 31 men, 2 women, and 10 children, while the injured consist of 123 men, 11 women, and 24 children.

Traffic authorities cited driver negligence as the primary causes of the accidents. The department urged the public to exercise greater caution and adhere to traffic laws, especially during holidays and national events.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has extended condolences to India following the crash of a commercial aircraft that resulted in many casualties.

In a message posted on X, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry is “deeply saddened” by the tragic incident.

“IEA-MoFA is deeply saddened by crash of an Indian commercial aircraft, and expresses its sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and government of India,” Balkhi wrote.

The Air India plane with 242 people on board crashed just after take off in Ahmedabad. More than 290 people have died in the incident.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday appeared to minimize the contributions of America’s NATO allies during the war in Afghanistan. His comments echoed a recurring message from the White House and President Donald Trump: that NATO member nations must bolster their defense spending to meet alliance commitments.

Speaking before the US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Hegseth recalled a remark often made by U.S. troops during his own service in Afghanistan. Referring to the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) patch worn by coalition soldiers, he said it was jokingly interpreted by many U.S. soldiers as “I saw Americans fighting.”

“Ultimately it was a lotta flags. Lotta flags. [But it] was not a lot of on-the-ground capability,” Hegseth continued in disparaging the NATO troops. “You’re not a real coalition, you’re not a real alliance, unless you have real defense capability, and real armies that can bring those to bear.”

His comments sparked immediate criticism from Senator Chris Coons, who pointed to the significant sacrifices made by NATO allies after 9/11, when the alliance invoked Article 5 for the first time. Coons emphasized that countries like Denmark, despite their small populations, endured high per-capita casualties — second only to the U.S.

“Let’s just make clear for the record that our military partners in Afghanistan included many who served and died,” Coons said.

Hegseth pushed back, saying his remarks weren’t meant to disregard those sacrifices.

“Don’t try and make it look like I don’t care about the investments of our partners,” said the secretary. “Of course I do. I recognize that there were lives lost from other countries. But the bulk of the effort was Americans.”

Over the two-decade war in Afghanistan, 31 other countries joined the U.S.-led effort. The U.S. suffered 2,461 military deaths, with the UK next highest at 457. Other NATO allies also lost personnel in combat and non-combat incidents.