Several Afghanistan cricketers have expressed their grief and outrage after airstrikes by Pakistan killed more than 400 in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman said early Tuesday (March 17) that the death toll from an airstrike by Pakistan that hit a hospital treating drug users in the Afghan capital Kabul has increased to 400. However, Pakistan had earlier denied that it had hit a hospital.
Rashid Khan took to X to express his outrage, saying he was “deeply saddened by the latest reports of civilian casualties in Kabul”. The allrounder added that targeting civilian homes, educational facilities, or medical infrastructure, whether intentional or accidental, amounts to a war crime.
“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!” Rashid Khan wrote.
Veteran allrounder Mohammad Nabi shared a video on X, and said, “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.”
Ibrahim Zadran, the captain of Afghanistan’s T20I side, condemned the airstrike by Pakistan. “Tonight I heard a massive explosion here in Kabul. Moments later, we saw flames rising into the sky from a hospital. Our brothers who intended to fast tomorrow are now gone, or wounded. My thoughts are with every family grieving tonight. Kabul is in pain. We pray for justice.”
