Kabul says three Afghan athletes got killed by Pakistani attacks

(MENAFN) A series of overnight airstrikes launched by Pakistan has resulted in the deaths of five Afghan civilians, including three young cricket players, according to Afghan officials. The incident occurred in Afghanistan’s southeastern Paktika province, near the shared border, and comes just days after both countries agreed to a short-term ceasefire brokered by Qatar.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed on Saturday that the athletes—identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon—were killed during an attack in Urgun District. According to the board’s statement, the players had recently returned from a friendly match in Sharana, the provincial capital, when they were struck during a local gathering. “In this heartbreaking incident, three players (Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon) alongside 5 other fellow countrymen from Urgun District were martyred, and seven others were injured,” the board posted on social media.

As a response to the tragedy, Afghan cricket authorities announced they would withdraw from an upcoming international tournament involving Pakistan scheduled for late November.

Prominent Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan expressed his grief, stating he was “deeply saddened” by the loss. “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.

While Pakistani officials have not yet issued an official statement, reports from Pakistani media indicated that the strikes were aimed at militant positions across the border. Citing unnamed sources, the outlet said “precision strikes” were carried out against what were described as “terrorist hideouts” belonging to a banned organization, reportedly killing dozens of militants.

The reported air raids took place just hours after a deadly assault targeted a military facility in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. Pakistani media described the strikes as a direct response to that attack, and they coincided with the brief ceasefire recently agreed upon by Islamabad and Kabul under Qatari mediation.

The airstrikes have sparked renewed concerns about the fragility of the regional truce and the future of peace efforts between the neighboring countries. Talks facilitated by Qatari authorities were intended to pave the way for a more permanent agreement, but the latest escalation has cast doubt on the prospects.

Former U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad weighed in on the developments, praising Qatar for its mediation efforts but questioning Pakistan’s role in the conflict. Referring to Pakistan’s recent mass deportation of Afghan refugees, Khalilzad criticized Islamabad for worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian challenges. “Pakistan has already heartlessly and abruptly expelled over a million Afghan refugees, which the country is struggling to absorb,” he wrote. “Is it so intolerable to them that a neighbor they have been trying to dominate and suppress for decades might finally enjoy a bit of peace and normalcy?”

The strike and its civilian toll have added fuel to ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as both sides continue to navigate a volatile relationship shaped by decades of conflict, cross-border militancy, and political mistrust.

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