Afghan Players Offer Support to Victims of Pakistan Strike in Kabul

Afghan cricketers, including captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, visited hospitals to support victims of a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul that killed over 400. Players like Rashid Khan condemned the attack, calling it a war crime amid rising tensions.

Officials from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), along with national team players, visited hospitals in Kabul to check on those injured due to the Pakistani strike at a hospital. The players offered support and prayers for recovery.

Afghanistan's ODI and Test captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, accompanied by teammates Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmad, visited Wazir Akbar Khan and Kabul Emergency hospitals, where they met survivors and expressed solidarity with victims and their families.

The visit came amid growing outrage among Afghanistan's cricketing community following reports of heavy civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in Kabul. Several players publicly condemned the violence and called for accountability.

Over 400 Killed as Pakistan Escalates Attacks

Over 400 people have been reported killed in the deadly airstrike carried out by Pakistan on an addiction treatment hospital in Kabul, while at the same time, the Pakistani military has fired 124 rockets into the districts of Kunar province over the past 24 hours, as reported by Tolo News.

The United Nations has called for an investigation and accountability into the horrific airstrike.

Rocket Attacks Displace 7,500 Families in Kunar

According to Tolo News, officials from the Kunar Directorate of Information and Culture said that Pakistan carried out scattered rocket attacks across several areas of the province; however, no casualties have been reported.

Zia-ul-Rahman Spin Ghar, Head of Information at the Directorate, said: "The Pakistani military regime has once again launched 124 rocket attacks on districts near the hypothetical Durand Line in Kunar. Fortunately, no one was harmed in these attacks. However, as a result, many of our fellow citizens have been forced to leave their homes."

Citing Kunar's Department of Refugees and Repatriation, Tolo News reported that nearly 7,500 families from districts near the Durand Line have been displaced due to these rocket attacks and have moved to safer areas

Afghanistan Players Speak Out Against 'Atrocity'

Earlier on Tuesday, several Afghanistan cricketers spoke out against the civilian casualties reported in Kabul following airstrikes by Pakistan, expressing grief and calling for justice.

Pakistan carried out heavy bombardment targeting Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, with Taliban officials and residents reporting multiple explosions across the city, Khaama Press reported.

According to Khaama Press, the latest bombardment highlights rapidly deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban administration as both sides continue to trade accusations over security issues.

Rashid Khan took to X to express his outrage, saying he was "deeply saddened by the latest reports of civilian casualties in Kabul". The all-rounder added that targeting civilian homes, educational facilities, or medical infrastructure, whether intentional or accidental, amounts to a war crime.

Rashid Khan wrote, "I am deeply saddened by the latest reports of civilian casualties as a result of Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul. Targeting civilian homes, educational facilities or medical infrastructure, either intentional or by mistake, is a war crime. The sheer disregard for human lives, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is sickening and deeply concerning. It will only fuel division and hatred. I call upon the UN and other human rights agencies to thoroughly investigate this latest atrocity and hold the perpetrators to account. I stand with my Afghan people in this difficult time. We shall heal, and we will rise as a nation. We always do. Inshallah!" (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)