In Afghanistan this weekend, a suicide bomber took the lives of several Americans on a mission to deliver books to an Afghan school. Among the dead was 25-year-old Anne Smedinghoff. Coworkers say she was committed to improving the lives of Afghan women and children.

The women's soccer team in Afghanistan isn't an international powerhouse. But their mere existence is a triumph and points to the growing number of Afghan women playing sports. And they're getting a little help from an American soccer star.

The Taliban tried to ban all music in Afghanistan. But now, 48 young Afghans 鈥� boys and girls 鈥� make up an orchestra that is coming to the U.S. to perform at a couple of the most prestigious venues in America.

In some ways, Christine Dumaine Leche's writing class was just like any other 鈥� there were backpacks, rough drafts, class discussions. But her classroom was on an air base in Afghanistan, and her students were active soldiers. She's collected their work in a new book called Outside The Wire.

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry continued working on the security transition, suspected suicide attacks in two locations underscored the challenges that remain. He also engaged in a little soccer diplomacy.