3 Afghan cricketers among 8 killed in Pakistani airstrike near border

According to the ACB, the players — identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon — had travelled from Urgun to Sharana to participate in a friendly match. They were later targeted “during a gathering after returning home to Urgun” in what the board condemned as “a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.”

In a statement on X, the ACB expressed “deep sorrow and grief” over the deaths and announced Afghanistan’s withdrawal from next month’s tri-nation cricket series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka “as a gesture of respect to the victims.”

Afghanistan’s T20 captain Rashid Khan said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives” in the Pakistani airstrikes, which also killed women and children. Calling the attack “immoral and barbaric,” Khan backed the ACB’s decision, saying national dignity must come first.

Other Afghan cricketers, including Mohammad Nabi and Fazalhaq Farooqi, also condemned the strike, describing it as “a heinous, unforgivable crime” against civilians and the nation’s cricket community.

Meanwhile, Afghan media reported that Pakistan carried out multiple airstrikes in Paktika’s Urgun and Barmal districts on Friday, breaching a temporary ceasefire between the two countries. The strikes came as both sides prepared for renewed peace talks in Doha aimed at easing border tensions, reports UNB.