Picture Credit: @rashidkhan_19/X
Pakistan launched fresh air strikes targeting terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, killing several people, including three cricketers, casting a shadow over the expected talks in Doha amid a fragile ceasefire that had temporarily halted hostilities between the two sides.
According to PTI report, The strikes followed a gun-and-bomb attack by terrorists at a military installation in North Waziristan, and just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended their two-day ceasefire, the Dawn reported on Saturday.
Statement of Condolence
The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.
In… pic.twitter.com/YkenImtuVR
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 17, 2025
There was no statement from Pakistan’s military, but the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the early Friday attack on Khaddi Fort in Mir Ali.
The security sources said they foiled the attack by eliminating all four attackers without suffering any loss.
Pakistan late Friday targeted the Angoor Adda region and also hideouts across Afghanistan’s Urgun and Barmal districts of Paktika province, as security sources claimed that precision strikes were conducted against hideouts of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, reportedly killing dozens of fighters, the paper said.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board claimed that three cricketers from Urgun District were killed in the strike on Paktika Province.
Three players (Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon) alongside 5 other fellow countrymen from Urgun District were killed in the attacks, while seven others were injured, ACB said in a statement issued on Saturday.
Following the incident, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, scheduled to be played in late November.
Superstar Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan hit out at Pakistan on X
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…
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) October 17, 2025
