Afghanistan cricket team visits Kabul hospitals after Pakistan airstrike
What's the story
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and players of the national side have paid a visit to hospitals in Kabul, where they met with those injured in a recent Pakistani airstrike on a medical facility. The visit was led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, captain of Afghanistan's ODI and Test teams. He was accompanied by his teammates Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmad during this humanitarian gesture.
Support extended
Players meet survivors, express support
The players visited the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital and the Kabul Emergency Hospital, where they met survivors of the airstrike. They expressed their support for the victims and their families during this difficult time. This visit comes amid rising anger within Afghanistan's cricketing community over reports of heavy civilian casualties in Kabul due to the airstrike.
Twitter Post
Afghanistan cricketers check on victims
Video: The ACB officials and a number of national team players visited and checked on those injured in the tragic incident of the previous night. They went to Wazir Akbar Khan & Kabul Emergency hospitals, prayed for the victims’ recovery, and expressed their sympathy and support. pic.twitter.com/jVthQdfGxz
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) March 18, 2026
Casualties confirmed
Airstrike leaves over 400 people dead
On Monday, Afghanistan accused Pakistan's military of killing at least 400 people in the airstrike on Kabul's Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital. The hospital, with a capacity of 2,000 beds, was severely damaged in the attack. Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban government, confirmed that around 250 others were also injured and rescue teams are working to control fires and recover bodies from the wreckage. All of the victims were civilians, he added.
Outrage expressed
Rashid calls for independent investigation
Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan has publicly condemned the attacks on civilian homes, educational facilities, and medical infrastructure as "a war crime." He also called for an independent investigation into the matter. "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," Rashid wrote on X.