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At least three Afghan cricketers have been killed in a Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
The ACB said the players, whom they identified by single names as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon, had travelled from Urgun to Sharana, near the Pakistan border, to take part in a friendly match, according to an NDTV report run by bdnews24.com.
In a statement, the board said that “after returning home to Urgun, they were targeted during a gathering” in what it described as “a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime”. Five others were also reported killed.
Following the strike, the ACB said it was withdrawing from a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka next month “as a gesture of respect to the victims”.
“The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime,” the ACB said in a post on X.
Afghanistan’s T20 captain Rashid Khan condemned the strike, calling it a “barbaric” assault on civilians.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage,” he wrote on X.
He added that “such unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights and must not go unnoticed”.
Khan said he supported the ACB’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming fixtures against Pakistan, adding that “our national dignity must come before all else”.
The airstrike comes amid heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan along their shared border.
Afghan media, including Tolo News, reported that Pakistani forces conducted a series of air raids in Urgun and Barmal districts on Friday, targeting residential areas and causing multiple civilian casualties.
The attacks reportedly took place during a 48-hour ceasefire agreement following several days of cross-border clashes.