'War Crime': Afghanistan Cricketer Rashid Khan Blasts Pakistan For 'Sickening' Strike on Kabul Hospital

Afghanistan cricket star Rashid Khan has strongly condemned reported Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul. The player expressed grief and anger over civilian casualties after a hospital was reportedly struck during the attack. 

Afghanistan on Tuesday accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on a Kabul hospital treating drug addicts, saying the attack killed more than 400 people. Pakistan denied the allegation, saying its strikes- also carried out in eastern Afghanistan - targeted only "military installations and terrorist support infrastructure".

Rashid Khan, one of the greatest T20I spinners and a former Afghanistan captain, lashed out at Pakistan for launching deadly airstrikes in Kabul, which resulted in civilian casualties.

"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 intentionally or by mistake-is a war crime," Rashid Khan wrote on X.

"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!"

Other Afghan cricketers also condemned Pakistani airstrikes, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Former Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi also spoke out after the huge number of casualties was reported.

He wrote, “Tonight in Kabul, hope was extinguished at a hospital. Young men seeking treatment were murdered in a bombing by the Pakistani military regime. Mothers waited at the gates, calling their sons' names. On the 28th night of Ramadan, their lives were cut short.”

Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul

The Pakistani military has struck Kabul several times in recent weeks, as part of a conflict sparked by claims that the Taliban government has harboured extremists who have carried out attacks across the border.

Loud explosions rocked the city at 9:00 pm local time (1630 GMT) on Monday, prompting return anti-aircraft fire and forcing locals to run for cover in panic as they were out and about after breaking their daily Ramadan fast.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that Pakistan had "once again violated Afghan territory", calling the strikes "a crime" and an "act of inhumanity".