A Pakistani airstrike late Friday, October 17, killed at least 40 people in Afghanistan, including three Afghan cricket players. Residential neighbourhoods in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province were the focus of the airstrikes, according to Tolo News. Women and children were said to have made up the majority of the victims.
The three-match series against Pakistan was cancelled, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), following the attack.
The cricket players were from the Urgun area in Paktika province, and the ACB released a statement expressing their profound sadness and grief over their deaths. The board denounced the event, describing it as a “cowardly” attack by the Pakistani government.
In this tragic event, three players—Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon—as well as five other Urgun District citizens were martyred, while seven more were wounded. The players had previously gone to play a friendly cricket match at Sharana, the provincial capital of Paktika. They were targeted during a meeting after going home to Urgun,” the Board stated, as reported by The Indian Express.
“The Afghanistan Cricket Board has made the decision to not play in the forthcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series against Pakistan, which is set to take place in late November, in response to this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims,” the board said.
Statement of Condolence
The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.
In… pic.twitter.com/YkenImtuVR
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 17, 2025
Afghan officials in the area claim that the airstrikes directly targeted civilian dwellings. The attacks, which have been widely condemned and expressed alarm, represent a dramatic increase in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan allegedly violated international humanitarian law by intentionally targeting civilian structures and non-combatants, according to witnesses and survivors.
The death toll among civilians is rather high. The number was considerably raised by yesterday’s airstrikes. 40 people are now dead and 170 injured, according to Karimullah Zubair Agha, Spin Bodak’s head of public health.
“I have never seen such inequity. Our homes, women and children were bombed by a Muslim nation. One of the survivors, Haji Bahram, stated that discussions should be used to address such matters.
They bombed youngsters and women of Muslim descent. “Pakistan executed this act with utter insolence,” added Abdul Zahir, another survivor.
According to Noorghali, who was hurt in the attacks, “there were no military forces here — only civilians and a local market — yet we were attacked.”
In addition to the bombings, residential neighbourhoods in Nokli, Haji Hassan Kelay, Wardak, Kuchian, Shorabak, and Shaheed were also hit by artillery bombardment from the other side of the border, which severely damaged homes and other structures. Hundreds of residents came to pay their respects at the funeral, which was held in the Spin Boldak district’s principal cemetery.
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