Three club-level cricketers from Afghanistan national cricket team-related leagues — Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon — were killed in an air strike in Urgun district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, after being invited for dinner at a friend’s house following a friendly match.

The three had travelled from Urgun to Sharana, the provincial capital, to play a local friendly game earlier in the day.  After returning home, they accepted an invitation to a small dinner at a friend’s residence. However, the gathering was struck by multiple waves of an attack — reported as aerial fire — before nightfall. “The place was attacked in three waves”, one former player recalled.

According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the trio and five others were killed, and another seven were injured in the strike.  The attack has been described by the ACB as “cowardly” and targeted during a civilian gathering.