Afghanistan pull out of cricket series after saying Pakistan airstrike killed local players

Afghanistan will no longer take part in an upcoming cricket series after three players in a domestic tournament were killed in an airstrike, the national cricket body said.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would pull out of November’s tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the dead, who it said were “targeted” in an “attack carried out by the Pakistani regime” on Friday. The three did not play for the national team.

The strike affected a home in Paktika province’s Urgon district where players were having dinner after a match, witnesses and local officials told the BBC.

Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike hit militants and denied targeting civilians.

The ACB named the three slain players as Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon, calling their deaths “a great loss to the sports community of Afghanistan, its athletes and the cricket family”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was “deeply saddened and horrified” by the “tragic death of three young and promising Afghan cricketers” in an air strike that also “claimed the lives of several civilians”.

“The ICC stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and expresses their grief,” it said in a statement, adding that it “strongly condemns this act of violence.”

The attack came hours later temporary ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to expire after days of deadly clashes on the border between the two nations. Dozens of casualties were reported.

Pakistan said it had targeted Afghan militants in the airstrike and that at least 70 militants had been killed.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said claims that the attack targeted civilians were “false and aimed at generating support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan.”

In a post on social media, Afghanistan national team captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to “aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage”.

Other players from the Afghanistan national side joined the tributes, including Fazalhaq Farooqui, who said the attack was a “heinous, unforgivable crime”.

On Saturday, large crowds of people were seen gathering at the funeral of the strike victims.

The blow came after Pakistani officials said seven soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the border with Afghanistan on Friday.

A 48-hour ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began at 13:00 GMT on Wednesday, has reportedly been extended to allow for talks.

An Afghan delegation arrived in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday for peace talks with the Pakistani side.

The Taliban government has said it will participate in the talks despite “Pakistani aggression”, which it says is Islamabad’s attempt to prolong the conflict.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Pakistan should “reconsider its policy and pursue friendly and civilized relations” with Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday that Defense Minister Khawaja Asif will lead the country’s delegation to Doha.

He said the talks would focus on ending cross-border terrorism and restoring peace and stability on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.