Afghanistan has called off its participation in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series with Pakistan after three of its cricketers were killed in Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district.
The attacks, which struck residential areas, claimed at least 40 lives, including women and children, according to reports.
Tolo News reported that the air raids began earlier in the week and hit civilian neighbourhoods in Spin Boldak.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed that three players from Urgun district in Paktika province were among those killed.
The Board said that in the heartbreaking incident, three players - Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon - along with five other countrymen from Urgun District had been martyred, and seven others had been injured.
It added that the players had earlier travelled to Sharana, the capital of Paktika province, to participate in a friendly cricket match, and after returning home to Urgun, they had been targeted during a gathering.
The ACB condemned the attack, describing it as a “cowardly act carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
The board expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and described the loss as a tragedy for the entire Afghan sports community. The ACB announced that in response to the tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, it had decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, which had been scheduled to take place in late November.
Local Afghan officials said the airstrikes directly hit civilian homes. Karimullah Zubair Agha, Head of Public Health in Spin Boldak, told Tolo News that civilian casualties were extremely high and that the previous day’s airstrikes had further increased the numbers, adding that they now had 170 injured and 40 dead.
Eyewitnesses and survivors accused Pakistan of deliberately targeting civilian areas, calling the attacks a violation of international humanitarian law.
In addition to the airstrikes, artillery shelling from across the border reportedly hit several areas, including Nokli, Haji Hassan Kelay, Wardak, Kuchian, Shorabak, and Shaheed, destroying homes and property.
The victims were buried in the central cemetery of Spin Boldak, where hundreds of locals gathered for the funeral. The district has since calmed, with markets reopening and residents beginning to recover from the devastation.