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) said it was deeply saddened and appalled by the tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers in an air strike that also claimed the lives of several civilians.
On Saturday, large crowds of people were seen gathering at the funeral for the strike's victims.
In a social media post, Afghan national team captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to the aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage.
The attack came hours after a temporary truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to expire following days of deadly clashes on the border between the two nations. Dozens of casualties have been reported.
Pakistan's Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said claims that the attack targeted civilians are false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan.
The strike came after Pakistani officials said seven soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border.
The ICC stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and echoes their grief, strongly condemning this act of violence. According to reports, Zimbabwe will now replace Afghanistan in the T20 series.
