Afghanistan rocked by a suicide bomb blast during T20 match in Kabul stadium

Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, has been rocked by a bomb explosion in the Alokozay Kabul International Cricket Ground. The bomb went off among the fans sitting in the stands during a Shpageeza Cricket League match in Kabul on Friday evening, 29th July. According to the latest reports, a suicide blast took place in Kabul during the Afghanistan Premier T20 tournament. The players from both sides were rushed inside a bunker. Officials from the United Nations were also present at the stadium when the attack happened.

The spectators were seen rushing to safety as chaos ensued after the explosion as there were tensions among all those present in the stadium. The incident took place during the 22nd league match of the Shpageeza Cricket League between Pamir Zalmi and the Band-e-Amir Dragons at the Kabul International stadium. The Kabul Police headquarters have confirmed the incident, but there has been no revelation of any casualties so far.

Terror attacks have taken over the capital city of Afghanistan since the Taliban rose to power in August 2021, and several religious monuments have been targeted by members of the Islamic State recently. A bomb exploded near Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul earlier this week following another blast last month, when Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked the Gurudwara, which claimed the lives of dozens of Sikhs and Taliban members.

A video from the blast area, cricket stadium. pic.twitter.com/TJJPccFiFI

— Anees Ur Rehman (@JournalistAnees) July 29, 2022

The blast at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium appears to involve an IED placed in the stands, leaving at least nine wounded, but likely casualty numbers higher. Apparently, the second innings is underway following the blast.

The Shpageeza Cricket League, which was modeled as an IPL-style professional T20 league, was established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2013. Initially, the tournament featured five teams, and the inaugural edition was won by the Speenghar Tigers, but as Afghanistan emerged as a potential powerhouse in international cricket, three more teams have been added to the tournament, representing different provinces of the country.

Afghanistan has been hit by a series of bomb attacks reportedly launched by the Islamic State (IS) group opposing the Taliban regime. In May, in one of the deadliest attacks this year, 14 people were killed and 32 others wounded in four explosions that rocked Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.