NEW DELHI: Afghanistan have withdrawn from a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka next month following the killing of three local cricketers in an attack, the country’s cricket board confirmed on Friday. According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the players had travelled from Urgun to Sharana in eastern Paktika province, near the Pakistan border, to participate in a friendly match.The ACB stated 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.”
The board identified the three players as “Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon,” and added that five other people were also killed in the attack. No further details about the incident were provided.The ACB said it “considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” while extending its “deepest condolences and solidarity to the bereaved families.”It added that the decision to withdraw from next month’s tri-series was made “as a gesture of respect to the victims.”Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan took to social media and wrote: “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.”“It is absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilian infrastructure. These unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights and must not go unnoticed.
“In light of the precious innocent souls lost, I welcome the ACB’s decision of withdrawing from upcoming fixtures against Pakistan. I stand with our people at this difficult time, our national dignity must come before all else,” he wrote. Afghan international cricketer Fazalhaq Farooqi expressed his grief on social media, writing: “The massacre of innocent civilians and our domestic cricket players by these oppressors is a heinous, unforgivable crime.”Another international player, Mohammad Nabi, commented: “This incident is not only a tragedy for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation as a whole.”
