Terrorist attack at cricket match in Afghanistan kills eight and wounds 45 more

From The Sun and the Guardian

Eight people have been killed and dozens more wounded by multiple explosions at a cricket match in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, officials said.

The blasts occurred after evening prayers on Friday at a football stadium that was hosting a cricket match at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council, said.

Three bombs were said to have gone off in quick-succession with hundreds watching on at the Spinghar cricket stadium in Jalalabad. A statement from the United Nations assistance mission in Afghanistan said there had been four explosions, two inside the stadium and two outside, apparently timed to hit those fleeing the initial blast.

During the 1990s, cricket was banned under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan – deemed to be a distraction from religion. However, the sport has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years, with the national team obtaining Test status in 2017.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has strongly condemned the attack, saying: “The terrorists did not stop killing our people even during the holy month of Ramadan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban issued a statement denying its involvement.

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