Three Afghan cricketers among 10 killed; ACB withdraws from Tri-Nation T20 series with Pakistan

Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of breaking ceasefire ahead of Doha talks; three Afghan cricketers killed in deadly airstrikes

PGurus Newsdesk

October 18, 2025

Three Afghan cricketers killed in deadly airstrikes

Taliban accuses Pakistan of breaking ceasefire

A fragile ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan came under strain on Friday after Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out fresh airstrikes in Paktika province, killing at least ten people, including three local cricketers. The accusations emerged just hours before peace talks between the two sides were set to begin in Doha, Qatar.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), three players from Urgun district—identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon—were killed after returning from a friendly match in Sharana. The ACB condemned the attack as a “heartbreaking incident” and announced Afghanistan’s withdrawal from the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I series involving Pakistan.

“In this heartbreaking incident, three players, along with five other countrymen from Urgun District, were martyred, and seven others were injured,” the ACB said in its statement. Reuters quoted ACB spokesperson Sayed Naseem Sadaat as saying that eight cricketers were killed in the attack.

Taliban officials claimed that Pakistan targeted three locations in Paktika’s Barmal and Urgun districts. Afghan police spokesperson Mohammad Ismail Mawia confirmed the strikes, which reportedly hit residential areas. Kabul described the attacks as a “clear violation” of the ongoing ceasefire.

The ceasefire, initially brokered for 48 hours after days of cross-border clashes, was extended until the conclusion of the Doha talks. While a Pakistani delegation has already reached Doha, an Afghan team was expected to arrive on Saturday.

The truce extension came just after a suicide bombing near the Afghan border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others. Pakistan’s military said militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a security facility in North Waziristan before being gunned down. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said six militants were killed in the assault.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told local media that Kabul’s forces had been instructed to observe the ceasefire “as long as Pakistan refrains from any attack.”

However, Pakistani security sources told Reuters that the ceasefire was agreed upon with the Afghan Taliban, not with the militants sheltering in Afghanistan who have been launching cross-border attacks.

Tensions between the two countries flared last week following retaliatory airstrikes, with each side accusing the other of initiating hostilities. While Afghanistan claimed its strikes killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, Islamabad said 23 of its troops died and that over 200 Taliban fighters were neutralized in counterfire.

Border crossings were briefly closed amid rising hostilities until mediation by Qatar and Saudi Arabia led to a temporary halt in fighting. The latest alleged strikes, however, have cast doubt over the stability of the truce as talks in Doha get underway.

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