Afghanistan withdraws from Pakistan cricket series after airstrike kills players

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Amu: Afghanistan’s cricket board on Saturday announced its withdrawal from an upcoming T20I series against Pakistan in protest of a deadly Pakistani airstrike that killed eight people, including three young cricketers, in the eastern province of Paktika. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement it was “deeply saddened” by what it called a “cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime,” which struck the Urgun district Friday evening. The cricketers had returned from a friendly match in Sharana, the provincial capital, when the attack occurred during a gathering. The ACB identified the slain players as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon. Five other civilians were also killed, and seven people were injured. Click here to read more (external link).

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Kabul Accuses Pakistan Of Launching Deadly Strikes In Western Afghanistan

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
October 17, 2025

Hopes of an extension of a two-day cease-fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers appear to have been dashed by a Pakistani air strikes on Afghan soil late on October 17 that reportedly killed 10 civilians.

“Pakistan has broken the cease-fire and bombed three locations in Paktika,” a province in western Afghanistan, a senior Taliban official told AFP on condition of anonymity. He added that “Afghanistan will retaliate.”

Ten civilians, including two children, were killed and 12 others were injured in the strikes, a provincial hospital official who also declined to be named told AFP. Among the dead were at least three local cricket players and five other men, according to locals.

Pakistan “conducted precision aerial strikes” in Afghan border areas, a senior security official told AFP. The official said the “precision strike” had targeted a local group of Taliban fighters, the Gul Bahadur Group, which Islamabad says is given safe haven by Kabul.

An RFE/RL reporter in Pakistan’s South Waziristan Province across the border from Paktika also reported that Pakistani drones had bombed Khandar village in the Afghan province’s Argun district.

News of the attacks comes as both sides were seeking to extend the fragile truce. The countries had reached an initial 48-hour cease-fire on October 15, hours after Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan and the sides exchanged artillery and gunfire along their contested border.

As the cease-fire neared its end on October 17, the sides said they had agreed a truce until the conclusion of planned talks in Qatar. Delegations from both countries were expected to arrive in the Gulf state over the weekend.

The recent bout of violence came after Pakistan carried out unprecedented drone strikes in Kabul on October 9 targeting members of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group.

The drone strikes triggered fierce fighting between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

On October 15, Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, causing multiple casualties.

Suspected Pakistani air strikes also hit Kabul. The blasts killed at least five people, according to Emergency, an Italian NGO that runs a hospital in the city.

Ground fighting also erupted along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer-long border, leaving several dead on both sides.

On October 17, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border, another act that threatened to derail the fragile cease-fire. A militant outfit previously affiliated with the TTP claimed responsibility.

The recent violence raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.

With reporting by AFP

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan spike as truce expires

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Al Jazeera: Tensions are mounting between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid reports of a brutal border attack on the former’s troops as a fragile temporary truce between the neighbours, and once allies, has expired. As the end of the truce approached, Pakistani police official Irfan Ali said a suicide car bomber backed by Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, attacked a military compound in Mir Ali, a city in North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghanistan U19 team to tour Bangladesh for five-match ODI series

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Ariana: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that the country’s Under-19 national team will tour Bangladesh later this month for a five-match Youth One-Day International (ODI) series. The matches are scheduled to take place from October 28 to November 9, 2025, in Bogura and Rajshahi. Click here to read more (external link).

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Iran to Issue 200,000 Work Visas for Afghanistan Citizens

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Khaama: Iran will issue 200,000 work visas for citizens of Afghanistan, aiming to regularize migrant labor and strengthen bilateral cooperation on managing Afghan workers in Iran. Mohammad Reza Bahrami, head of South Asia Affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, met Taliban Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, in Kabul to discuss the situation of Afghan migrants living in Iran. Click here to read more (external link).

Kabul Gripped By Fear Of More Attacks After Suspected Pakistani Air Strikes

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
October 16, 2025

Nazifa has not left her home since suspected Pakistani air strikes struck her neighborhood in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

“We’re scared to go outside,” Nazifa, who used a pseudonym for fear of retribution, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “We don’t want to be caught in another attack.”

Nazifa said the huge blasts on October 15 rattled her home in Kabul’s Taimani neighborhood, a largely residential and commercial area, and blew out the windows.

The suspected bombing raid in Kabul came as fresh fighting erupted between Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and Pakistan on October 15. Islamabad also carried out air strikes in southern Afghanistan, which was the scene of fierce ground fighting.

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire on October 15. But the truce has done little to quell the fear gripping Kabul, a city of some 5 million people.

“No part of Afghanistan is safe — neither on the ground or in the air,” said another woman living in Kabul, who spoke to Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity. “The situation could worsen again at any time. I haven’t been to work since yesterday because I’m scared.”

At least five people were killed and 35 wounded in the blasts in Kabul, said Italian NGO, Emergency, which runs a hospital in the city. The casualties suffered shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma, and burns, with 10 in critical condition, the NGO said.

City workers were still clearing debris from the charred streets on October 16. Several Kabul neighborhoods were out of power, after the blasts damaged electricity cables.

“When I went out of our apartment block, I saw wounded children lying on the street,” said Hanifa, a woman who lives in the Taimani neighborhood. “I saw one boy — he looked like he was around 8 years old. He had burns to half of his body.”

Hanifa, who also asked that RFE/RL use a pseudonym, said the blasts had “terrified” residents, forcing some of them to contemplate leaving the city.

Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News reported that Islamabad conducted “precision strikes” in Kabul. The target of the attack was unclear, but it came after Pakistan carried out unprecedented drone strikes in the Afghan capital on October 9 targeting members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group.

The drone strikes triggered fierce fighting between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

The violence has raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Afghanistan names squads for Test and T20I series vs. Zimbabwe

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Amu: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its national squads Wednesday for a one-off Test match and a three‑game T20I series against Zimbabwe, to be held Oct. 20 to Nov. 2 at Harare Sports Club. In the Test squad, left‑arm fast bowler Bashir Ahmad retains his spot after appearing in recent ODIs and T20Is. New inclusions include right‑arm pacer Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, left‑arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, right‑arm leg spinner Khalil Gurbaz—all praised for their strong domestic red‑ball performances—and spin‑bowling all‑rounder Shahidullah Kamal, who also joins the T20I squad. Star spinner Rashid Khan will be rested as a precaution to preserve his fitness for upcoming events. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghanistan And Pakistan Agree Cease-Fire After Deadly Air Strikes And Ground Fighting

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal

October 15, 2025

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a temporary cease-fire on October 15 after deadly air strikes and ground fighting raised fears of a full-blown conflict between the neighbors.

Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, causing multiple casualties, locals told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

Explosions were also heard in Kabul, according to city residents who spoke to Radio Azadi. Unverified footage on social media appeared to show plumes of smoke rising into the sky in the Afghan capital. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

Ground fighting also erupted along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer-long border, leaving several dead on both sides.

Temporary Cease-Fire

In a statement later on October 15, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the sides had agreed to a “temporary cease-fire for the next 48 hours” starting at 6:00 p.m. Pakistan local time.

The latest violence came after fierce fighting erupted between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

The border clashes occurred just days after Pakistan carried out drone strikes in the center of Kabul as well as air strikes in eastern Afghanistan.

The violence has raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

Civilians Fleeing The Border Zones

Civilians on both sides of the border said the recent fighting had forced some to flee their homes amid fears of a broader war.

“Many people on both sides of the border have vacated their houses and fled the area for safer locations fearing that the fighting may expand,” Muhammad Naeem, a local journalist in the border town of Chaman, told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.

Residents of Spin Boldak, a district in the Afghan province of Kandahar which borders Chaman, said Pakistani military helicopters bombed a market.

“Civilian cars and homes were hit,” said a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Many civilians were killed and injured.”

The Taliban government in Kabul said 12 civilians were killed in the attack in Spin Boldak.

The recent spate of violence has led to the closure of border crossings, affecting local businesses and the movement of people.

“Border closures lead to higher prices and can affect people’s livelihoods,” said a Kabul resident who also did not want to be identified. “I hope the war will come to an end.”

Islamabad had backed the Taliban since the group’s emergence in the 1990s, allegedly continuing its support throughout the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government.

Experts say the goal was to establish a friendly government in Kabul that would advance Pakistan’s interests — a strategy that now appears to have backfired.

Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.

Written by Kian Sharifi based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Radio Mashaal

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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