World in brief: Afghan civilians killed in U.S. raid

Kabul, Afghanistan – As many as “a dozen or more” Afghan civilians died during a nighttime raid by U.S. troops hunting for Taliban commanders in eastern Afghanistan, military officials acknowledged Thursday.

The episode, which took place Wednesday in Nangarhar province, comes amid escalating tensions between the Western military and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai over civilian casualties.

In Wednesday night’s raid, a fierce firefight broke out after American and Afghan forces swooped down on a compound in Sherzad district, according to local officials and the NATO force. Fifteen to 20 insurgents were killed, including two wanted Taliban commanders, the officials said.

The raiding troops came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles and called in air cover as they withdrew, the military said.

Islamabad, Pakistan – The wall of floodwater that’s rushing through Pakistan devastated new areas Thursday, reaching the most heavily populated parts of the country, officials and aid workers said.

The raging waters, caused by torrential rain in the north of the country, have rushed down the Indus River and inundated parts of southern Punjab province, which is home to half the country’s 170 million people. Mass evacuations began farther downriver in Sindh, which contains Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Singer Wyclef Jean officially announced his bid to be president of Haiti to a roaring crowd of supporters on Thursday, thrusting himself into a contentious race to lead an impoverished country reeling from a devastating earthquake.

The former Fugees frontman enters a highly competitive and crowded race for a difficult and dangerous job. Only one person has completed a democratically elected 5-year term in Haiti’s history – current President Rene Preval – who is poised to do it again and hand it off to an elected successor.

Mexico City – Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a law allowing same-sex marriages in Mexico City is constitutional, rejecting an appeal by federal prosecutors who argued it violated the charter’s guarantees to protect the family.

The justices’ 8-2 ruling handed a legal victory to hundreds of same-sex couples who have been married in Mexico’s capital since the landmark law took effect March 4. When approved last December, it was the first law in Latin America explicitly giving gay marriages the same status as heterosexual ones, including adoption.

The court, however, must still rule on the adoption clause and whether the ruling will affect states outside of the capital. It is expected to address adoption on Monday.