Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, was involved in a massacre that resulted in the deaths of 16 Afghan civilians, including many women and children. The incident occurred in the Panjwayi District of Kandahar. Early in the morning, Bales left his base in the darkness and entered a nearby village, launching an unprovoked attack on residents as they slept. He reportedly was under stress from multiple deployments and the intense conditions of the Afghanistan war, which may have contributed to his actions. Bales returned to the base after the shootings and turned himself in to his superiors.

The killings led to outrage in both Afghanistan and the United States, resulting in protests and calls for accountability. Many Afghan leaders condemned the actions as an atrocity against innocent people. In response to the incident, U.S. officials expressed regret and emphasized that the attack did not reflect the values of the U.S. military or its mission in Afghanistan. The massacre intensified anti-U.S. sentiment in Afghanistan and raised questions about the behavior of American soldiers in combat zones.

Bales was later tried in a military court and ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His actions spurred discussions about mental health support for soldiers returning from combat, the rules of engagement in warfare, and the broader implications of military presence in foreign nations.