Kabul: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said on Saturday that it would not take part in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I series with Pakistan. This was after new Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province reportedly killed three local cricketers.
The decision comes as tensions rise along the Afghan-Pakistan border, even though both parties agreed to keep a shaky ceasefire in place until peace talks in Doha are over.
The ACB said that three Afghan cricketers from the Urgun District of Paktika—Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon—were among those who died when Pakistani airstrikes targeted the area late Friday.
The ACB announced in an official statement, “In this tragic event, three players (Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon) and five other people from Urgun District were killed, and seven others were hurt.”
The players had already gone to Sharana, the capital of Paktika province, to play a casual game of cricket. They were attacked during a meeting after getting back to Urgun.
According to ACB spokeswoman Sayed Naseem Sadaat, eight local cricketers were killed in the attack, as reported by Reuters.
The ACB called the incident “cowardly” and said they were sad for the victims’ families.
Taliban says at least 10 people were killed in Paktika strikes.
Taliban authorities say that at least 10 people died after Pakistan bombed three places in the Paktika province. The Afghan government has said that Islamabad broke the truce, which was extended earlier on Friday to help with peace talks in Doha.
A Pakistani security official told Reuters, on the other hand, that the truce was agreed with the Afghan Taliban, not with the Islamist terrorists who are based in Afghanistan and still assault Pakistan from across the border.
New attacks cause ceasefire to be extended
Sources said the two sides decided to keep their 48-hour ceasefire going until the discussions in Doha are over. According to Reuters, a Pakistani group was already in Doha, and an Afghan group was slated to arrive on Saturday.
The truce was extended after a suicide bomber in North Waziristan district, close the Afghan border, killed seven Pakistani soldiers and hurt 13 more.
Pakistan said that a jihadist drove a car full of explosives into a military base, killing two other assailants during the attack. The office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that six militants were also slain.
Later, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told Ariana News that Afghan forces had been told to keep the ceasefire as long as Pakistan didn’t assault again.
But within hours, other airstrikes were reported in the Barmal and Urgun regions, where the Afghan cricketers were murdered.
Rashid Khan and others speak out against “immoral, barbaric” attack
The killings of the footballers have caused a lot of anger among Afghanistan’s sports community. Rashid Khan, a star on the national squad, was angry on social media and called the strikes “immoral and barbaric.”
Cricket has long been a symbol of togetherness and strength in Afghanistan, and the murders of young players have moved people all around the country.
Background: Fighting at the border and rising tensions
Things have gotten a lot worse between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last few weeks. The two sides fought a lot along the border last weekend after Afghanistan bombed Pakistan in response to what it alleged was an attack on Kabul by Pakistan.
Afghanistan said it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, but Islamabad said it killed 23 and said it had killed more than 200 Taliban members in return fire.
After things got worse, border crossings were closed on October 12 because both countries blamed the other for being aggressive.
After Qatar and Saudi Arabia stepped in diplomatically, the fighting stopped for a while. However, new battles were reported earlier this week, killing dozens of troops and civilians on both sides.
Trump Speaks Up During Crisis
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump remarked that the dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan “would be an easy one to solve.” He also said that Washington was keeping a close eye on the issue.
“Do understand, Pakistan attacked first,” Trump tweeted. He called the carnage “avoidable” if both sides decided to “mutual restraint.”
The Next Step
The killings of three Afghan cricketers have converted an issue at the border into a national tragedy, making many in Afghanistan even angrier.
The world is watching to see if both countries can quiet things down along the border now that the Tri-Nation T20I series has been canceled and talks are going on in Doha. If not, the region might go back to another cycle of war and revenge.