New Delhi: Several Afghanistan cricketers have condemned Pakistan airstrikes on Kabul that hit the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital Monday. The Taliban has said that the strike killed at least 400 people and injured over 250, calling it a “crime against humanity”. Islamabad has dismissed the claim as “false and misleading,” maintaining that its forces “precisely” targeted terrorist infrastructure rather than civilian facilities.
Afghanistan’s former T20I captain, Rashid Khan, labelled the attacks a “war crime” and called for UN intervention. Taking to X, Khan said he was “deeply saddened” by the reports and argued that targeting medical infrastructure, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes a war crime.
He further noted that the “sheer disregard for human lives” during Ramadan would only “fuel division and hatred,” urging international human rights agencies to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
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,… pic.twitter.com/DbFRRh2qAJ
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) March 16, 2026
Former national captain Mohammad Nabi also posted on X, saying that “hope was extinguished at a hospital”, while mourning the lives cut short on the “28th night of Ramadan”.
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. pic.twitter.com/p12617D4de
— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) March 16, 2026
Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, in a post on Facebook, said it was “hard to find any difference” between the Kabul strike and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Bowler Wafadar Momand described the facility as a “house of humanity”, and labelled the strike a “major crime against humanity, ethics, and all human values”. He wrote that a hospital should be a sanctuary for saving lives where blood is not shed.
Top-order batsman Ibrahim Zadran noted that those who “intended to fast tomorrow” are now dead or wounded, while veteran all-rounder Gulbadin Naib said the Afghan people would remain firm through “national unity, mutual support, and steadfast resolve.”
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.
— Ibrahim Zadran (@IZadran18) March 16, 2026
افغان ولس به د خپل ملي یووالي، متقابل ملاتړ او ټینګې ارادې له لارې د هر ډول ننګونې پر وړاندې ولاړ پاتې شي. https://t.co/Syk0DuUNvJ
— Gulbadin Naib (@GbNaib) March 17, 2026
The conflict between the neighboring nations flared again in February 2026, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militant groups. This latest escalation follows months of sporadic clashes that have persisted despite a fragile ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025.
This is not the first time the Afghan cricket community has used social media to criticise Pakistani military action. Following border escalations in 2024 and early 2025, several players, including Khan and Nabi, had voiced similar condemnations against what they described as the “violation of Afghan sovereignty” and the resulting civilian casualties.
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