The Strongest Tribe*

Marines kill Afghan tribal leader after thrown rock breaks nose of U.S. commander Col. Paul Kennedy.

Pashtun tribal leader Mamour Merajuddin Khan recently hurled a stone at Marine Col. Paul Kennedy in the Sangin district of the restless Helmand River Valley, a source said.

The toss brought a swift response from U.S. forces.

Kennedy’s security detail "responded immediately by firing on the individual, killing him," NATO’s International Assistance Force in Kabul said.

H/t Carrie

* Taken from the title of Bing West's book about the turning point in the Iraq war, The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq.