Afghanistan pulls out of cricket series after it says Pakistan air strike killed local players

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated, with the Afghan cricket team pulling out of an upcoming tournament after three players were killed in a Pakistani air strike.

The strike, which occurred in Paktika province, targeted militants but also claimed the lives of eight civilians, including three cricketers. The Afghan Cricket Board has condemned the attack, calling it "a great loss for Afghanistan's sports community and its athletes".

Pakistan has denied targeting civilians and claims that the strike was aimed at militants. However, witnesses and local officials have told the BBC that the victims were eating dinner after a match when the air strike hit.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and condemned the attack as an "act of violence". Afghanistan's cricketing community is in shock, with many taking to social media to pay tribute to the young cricketers who lost their lives.

As tensions between the two nations continue to escalate, peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to resume. However, it remains unclear whether these negotiations will be able to ease the tensions that have been building for days.

In a surprise move, Zimbabwe has agreed to replace Afghanistan in the tri-nation T20 series that was scheduled to take place after the attack. The tournament's future is now uncertain due to the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The situation remains volatile, with many fearing that the conflict could spread beyond the cricket field.

this whole thing is so messed up i feel for the afghan team, losing 3 of their own in a strike meant to target militants is just heartbreaking. pakistan's saying they didn't target civilians but witnesses are saying otherwise, it's like who do you believe here? and what's with zimbabwe jumping into this whole thing by agreeing to replace afghanistan in the tournament? does that even make sense at this point? anyway, i'm sure things will get sorted out eventually but for now, cricket fans everywhere are just left feeling sad and frustrated

this is just a disaster waiting to happen... like how could pakistan not even care about civilians? and what's with these peace talks? seems like an empty promise to me... when are we gonna see some real change? afghanistan is already suffering so much, can't they get some protection around here? it's all just a mess and no one's taking responsibility...

can't believe this is happening! those 3 young cricketers were just trying to have a chill dinner after a match and then BAM, air strike hits. so senseless. and pakistan's like "oops, didn't mean to hurt civilians" no way, this was definitely not a mistake. and the icc is all like "oh, sorry about that" yeah, more like "we're gonna keep talking trash between afghanistan and pakistani cricket teams". anyway, i feel bad for the afghani cricket fans who are grieving right now

This whole thing is just heartbreaking... Three young lives lost in an air strike meant for militants? It's just not right. And the fact that Pakistan is denying targeting civilians doesn't help ease the pain either. The ICC saying it was an "act of violence" seems pretty obvious, but I guess some people need to see things from both sides before they can agree.

The cricket community in Afghanistan must be going through a tough time, and it's no wonder they're calling for peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan ASAP. But with tensions still running high and Zimbabwe stepping in to replace them... it just feels like we're stuck in a cycle of violence. Can't we all just get along?

this is insane a young cricketers lives lost over some stupid game... i feel for afghanistan Cricket team & country, this is huge blow. how can u even target civilians in an air strike? it's not just about sports anymore, its about humanity & respect for human life. international community needs to step in & put pressure on pakistan to take responsibility for what happened. cricket is supposed to be a game of unity & friendship, but right now its being used as a tool for tensions between two countries

OMG, this is soooo sad ... I mean, three young cricketers just lost their lives in a freak accident?! Like, what's going on over there?! Pakistan says it was a strike on militants, but witnesses are saying civilians were eating dinner when the air strike hit . The ICC is all like "concerned" and stuff, but this should be so much more than just words... how can we ensure that something like this doesn't happen again?! I'm low-key worried that tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are gonna get out of control . Can't we all just live in peace and harmony (especially when it comes to sports )? This is such a sad time for the cricket community

OMG, like, this is so sad - I know, I know, it's a bad strike (air strike, lol) in Paktika province, but three cricketers? That's just awful. And for what? Pakistan says it was a militant target, but witnesses say nope, those civilians were just chillin' after the match . International Cricket Council is all like "no way, that's violence" and I'm over here like, YAAAS, someone needs to call out Pakistan on this one .

And, omigosh, Zimbabwe is stepping in to replace Afghanistan? That's wild. I don't even know what the T20 series means (I think it's some cricket thingy?), but if tensions are gonna escalate and spread beyond the field... *worried face*

Anywayz, peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are happening, which is a good start, I guess? But we'll see how that goes. One thing's for sure, though - it's time to talk about this violence and get our priorities straight

.. can we really put a price on young lives? These 3 cricketers from Afghanistan didn't think they were in danger when they walked out to play their game... or just have dinner after the match... Their families, their friends, their communities are all grieving now. And for what? So we can talk about peace talks and cricket tournaments? I mean, isn't it time we put the interests of human lives above everything else? We're always saying that sports bring people together, but what if they're actually bringing us apart instead?

This is getting out of hand . I mean, one minute we're watching a match, next minute some air strike comes in and kills innocent people. And now, it's like Pakistan and Afghanistan are stuck in this never-ending cycle of violence... . Zimbabwe stepping in to replace them? That just feels like a distraction to me. Are they trying to shift the focus away from what really matters? Like, how can we even trust the ICC when it comes to calling out these attacks as "acts of violence"? There's gotta be more to this than meets the eye...

This whole thing is so messed up ... I mean, an air strike that kills civilians? It's just not right. The Afghan Cricket Board is right to be upset, it's a huge loss for their sports community and they should definitely be getting some help from the international cricketing community.

The fact that Pakistan is denying targeting civilians but witnesses are saying otherwise is really suspicious ... And what about all those militants who claimed to be the target? Wasn't there a way to minimize civilian casualties?

This isn't just about cricket, it's about the lives of innocent people . I'm hoping that peace talks will actually work this time and we can avoid more violence.

And now Zimbabwe is stepping in to replace Afghanistan? That's good news for cricket, but it's also a bit weird... Did they even get a chance to compete before everything fell apart?

This whole thing is just so messed up... like, I get that tensions are high, but can't we all just take a chill pill? Three innocent people who were just trying to enjoy some cricket after dinner and now they're gone. The fact that Pakistan says it was a mistake, but witnesses are saying otherwise, is just another layer of complexity that makes me so frustrated.

And then there's the ICC just condemning the attack without taking sides... like, isn't that what we're supposed to do? But seriously, how can you even plan an event and not think about the consequences? And now Zimbabwe has stepped in and taken Afghanistan's place... what does that even mean for the tournament?

The thing is, this isn't just about cricket; it's about human lives and the impact we have on each other. I'm just worried that this whole situation could escalate further and lead to something much bigger than a sport.

OMG, this is so sad ! I'm literally shook by the news of those innocent players getting killed in an air strike . It's just not right when you have a sport like cricket that brings people together, yet it ends up causing more division & harm . The ICC should really do something about this, maybe intervene in some way to prevent further attacks . I'm all for peace talks, but we need real action too . Zimbabwe stepping in to replace Afghanistan is a huge move, fingers crossed it can bring some stability to the tournament . We gotta hope that these tensions don't spill over into something bigger, this is just too much #JusticeForTheCricketTeam #PeaceOverViolence #T20SeriesInTrouble

this is getting out of hand... like what even is the point of having a peace talks when both sides just gonna keep escalating? meanwhile some random country in africa is trying to fill the void but it's not gonna make a difference either way... and honestly can't we all just have a match without any drama or death for once? it's like the whole world is one big sports stadium and nobody knows how to play nice anymore

omg what a sad turn of events the thought of those innocent cricketers getting killed in an air strike is just devastating i feel for afghanistan's cricket community and their athletes - losing three players is a huge blow to their sport. i don't think pakistan should be let off that easily though, they need to take responsibility for what happened the international cricket council has done the right thing in condemning the attack as an act of violence. this whole situation is just so frustrating - can't we all just get along and play some sport without any drama?

my heart goes out to afghanistan cricket team their lives were cut short in a tragic incident & it's just not fair i think pakistan should be more transparent about what really happened in paktika province if they're saying it was all militants then why are civilians getting caught in the crossfire? anyway, let's focus on supporting afghanistan cricket team during this tough time and hoping that peace talks between afghanistan & pakistan will bring some positivity to the region

This is so sad what happened in that air strike? it's not right that innocent people like those 3 cricketers got caught up in the crossfire... i feel for afghanistan, this is a huge blow to their sports community and they already have so much going on with the war situation. and now ze international cricket council is speaking out against the attack? good on them! but seriously, how are we supposed to move forward when violence like this keeps happening?

come on, a cricket match gets cancelled because of an air strike... 3 players get killed and now they're replacing afghanistan with zimbabwe in some tournament... sounds like a huge favour to pakistan meanwhile tensions are still running high between the two countries... can't help but wonder if this is just a diplomatic way for pakistan to avoid taking responsibility for their own security... not sure what's more sad, the loss of life or the fact that cricket has become an even bigger battleground than it needs to be

just saw this news... can't believe what happened those kids were just 15-16 yrs old... playing cricket for fun and ended up getting killed by a airstrike. how's that even possible? international cricket is all about sportsmanship, fair play... but when nations go to war on each other it's like you're taking out innocent civilians too hopefully peace talks work this time but what if they don't? the cricket world just lost its heart

this is so sad afghanistan has already been going through so much pain and suffering from the war and now this pakistan saying they didn't target civilians but witnesses say otherwise

anyway the icc condemning the attack is a good start maybe it can help ease tensions between afghanistan and pakistan but i'm not holding my breath we need more than just words to fix this problem

and what about the cricketers who lost their lives? they were just trying to have fun playing sports for their country it's a tragedy

can't we all just get along and support peace talks in afghanistan and pakistan? let's keep our fingers crossed that these negotiations will work out