Afghanistan withdraws from cricket sequence after it says native gamers killed in Pakistan air strike

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/ecaf/live/aaaa4a70-ac0b-11f0-a47c-6f0c4d6b53fc.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="BBC A large crowd of likely hundreds of people seen outside beside mountains" class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> BBC A big crowd gathered for the gamers' funeral on Saturday

Afghanistan will not participate in an upcoming cricket sequence after it says three gamers in a neighborhood match have been killed in an air strike.

The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) mentioned it could withdraw from November's tri-nation T20 sequence out of respect for the three, who didn't play for the nationwide group, who it mentioned have been "focused" in an "assault carried out by the Pakistani regime" on Friday night.

The strike hit a house in Urgon district in japanese Paktika province, the place the cricketers have been consuming dinner collectively after a match, eyewitnesses and native officers informed the BBC.

Eight folks have been killed, the ACB mentioned. Pakistan mentioned the strike focused militants and denied attacking civilians.

The ACB named the three gamers who have been killed as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon, calling their deaths "an awesome loss for Afghanistan's sports activities neighborhood, its athletes, and the cricketing household".

The assault got here hours after a short lived truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was as a consequence of expire following days of lethal clashes on the border between the 2 nations. Dozens of casualties have been reported.

Pakistan mentioned it had focused Afghan militants within the air strike and that at the least 70 combatants had been killed.

Pakistan's Minister of Info Attaullah Tarar mentioned claims that the assault focused civilians are "false and meant to generate help for terrorist teams working from inside Afghanistan".

On Saturday, massive crowds of individuals have been seen gathering on the funeral for the strike's victims.

In a social media submit, Afghan nationwide group captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to the "aspiring younger cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage".

Different gamers for the Afghan nationwide aspect joined the tributes, together with Fazalhaq Farooqi who mentioned the assault was a "heinous, unforgivable crime".

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/97fe/live/667045d0-ac15-11f0-a687-b9c529d97293.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Several coffins laid out in front of a large outdoor crowd in Afghanistan" class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> The strike got here after Pakistani officers mentioned seven troopers have been killed in a suicide assault close to the Afghan border on Friday.

The 48-hour truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which started on Wednesday at 13:00 GMT, has reportedly been prolonged to permit for negotiations.

An Afghan delegation arrived within the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for peace talks with the Pakistani aspect.

The Taliban authorities mentioned it could participate within the talks regardless of "Pakistani aggression", which it says was Islamabad's try to delay the battle.

Former Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai mentioned Pakistan ought to "rethink its insurance policies, and pursue pleasant and civilised relations" with Afghanistan.