Afghanistan will no longer take part in an upcoming cricket series after three players in a local tournament were killed in an air strike, the nation's cricketing body says.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would withdraw from November's tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the dead, who it said were targeted in an attack carried out by the Pakistani regime on Friday. The three did not play for the national team.
The strike hit a home in Urgon district in Paktika province, where the players were eating dinner after a match, witnesses and local officials told the BBC.
Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike hit militants and denied targeting civilians.
The ACB named the three players who were killed as Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, calling their deaths a great loss for Afghanistan's sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) expressed sorrow over the tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers and emphasized solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
The attack came hours after a temporary truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was set to expire. Pakistan stated it targeted Afghan militants in the air strike, claiming significant combatant casualties.
In reaction to the attack, Afghan national team captain Rashid Khan honored the three victims, emphasizing the loss to future representations on the world stage.
While the ACB withdraws from the T20 series, Zimbabwe is set to replace Afghanistan in the competition.
