An Afghan policeman stands at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint near the main cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least three people as a tournament was under way, officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said two police and one civilian were killed and five people wounded. Local Tolo News Television quoted the Afghan Cricket Board as saying all players were safe.

The blast outside Kabul International Cricket Stadium took place during a match in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League, a T20 franchise tournament on the lines of the Indian Premier League and similar 20-over tournaments.

A statement in Bosnian on Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said a suicide attack had been carried out on members of the Afghan security forces in Kabul‮‮‮,‬‬‬ although it was not immediately clear whether the statement referred to the same incident.

The Shpageeza tournament, now in its fifth season, is one of a small number of Western-style sports competitions along with Afghan Premier League football that have grown up since a U.S.-led campaign toppled the Taliban in 2001.

A small number of foreign players are also taking part in the competition.

Cricket, which spread from refugee camps in Pakistan, has become one of Afghanistan’s most popular sports and the national team has become increasingly successful, raising the profile of the game.</s>At least three people were killed and several injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint near a cricket stadium in Kabul on Wednesday.

Officials said a cricket match was underway when the incident occurred.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed the blast outside the Kabul International Cricket Stadium, Afghan media reports said.

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A security personnel and a civilian were killed by the blast at 3:45 pm local time, the reports added.

Initial reports had said the blast occurred at one of the gates of the stadium. However, officials later clarified that the bomber had blown himself up near a checkpoint.

At least seven security personnel and civilians have reportedly been injured.

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No immediate details on the casualties were available. However, Tolo News Television quoted the Afghan Cricket Board as saying all the players were safe.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Cricket, which spread from refugee camps in Pakistan, has become one of Afghanistan's most popular sports, and the national team has become increasingly successful, raising the profile of the game in the country.
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• Afghanistan is your country's mess, President Trump! India has no business joining the US plan for Kabul</s>At least three people were killed in an explosion near a cricket stadium in Afghanistan’s Kabul around 3.45 pm on Wednesday, according to local media reports. All players are safe and a cricket match, which was underway, was stopped immediately, Tolo News reported.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said two police and one civilian were killed and five people wounded, Reuters reported.

Officials said that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a check post leading to Kabul International Cricket Stadium, where the Shpageeza Cricket League match was being held. Initial reports had said that the explosion was at one of gates of the stadium.

Islamic State’s Amaq news agency posted a statement in Bosnian claiming a suicide attack on members of the Afghan security forces in Kabul. The statement did not clearly claim responsibility for the attack near the cricket stadium, Reuters reported.</s>Kabul [Afghanistan], Sept 13 (ANI): At least two security force personnel were killed in a bomb attack near a cricket stadium in Kabul on Wednesday.

Tolo News quoted cricket officials as saying that all the cricket players were safe and the match was stopped immediately but that they could resume the match later.

The Kabul International Cricket Stadium is hosting the matches of Shpageeza Cricket League season that kicked off on Monday and will continue till September 22.

No group including the Taliban insurgents has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident. (ANI)</s>A suicide bomber blew himself up near a cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing three people including a policeman and wounding five others, police said.

The attacker detonated the bomb after he was stopped at a security checkpoint by suspicious police as he walked towards the Alokozay Kabul International Cricket Ground where a match was under way.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly assaults in the city.

“The security forces by sacrificing themselves have prevented the attacker from reaching the crowd (inside the stadium) and creating a catastrophe,” police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP.

Two of the wounded were police officers.

Several ambulances were seen speeding away from the scene, apparently taking the injured to hospital, an AFP reporter said.

Scores of police blocked the road leading to the stadium where the sixth match of the Shpageeza Cricket League season between the Boost Defenders and Mis Ainak Knights was under way. The competition started Monday.

Hundreds of spectators could be heard from outside the stadium as firefighters washed down the area where the bomber had blown himself to bits.

Afghanistan Cricket Board spokesman Farid Hotak told AFP the match was briefly interrupted and “all players and cricket board officials are safe”. ”.

The last major attack in Kabul happened on August 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a bank days before the Eid festival, killing five people and injuring several others.

Wednesday's assault came hours after eight Afghans expelled from Germany arrived in Kabul after Berlin resumed deportations of Afghan asylum-seekers.

It had suspended the process when a huge truck bomb tore through the city's highly fortified diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing around 150 people and wounding hundreds more.

The latest group represented the sixth wave of repatriations of Afghans from Germany since December under a disputed Afghan-European Union deal aimed at curbing the influx of migrants.

Berlin has argued that it can safely repatriate people to Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, even as Taliban and Islamic State militants terrorise much of the country.

“They told me that there is no problem in your country and you can live there so you can't stay here (Germany) anymore,” Mohammad Jamshidi, one of the deportees, told AFP.</s>KABUL: A suicide bomber blew himself up near a cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday (Sep 13), killing three people including a policeman and wounding five others, police said.

The attacker detonated the bomb after he was stopped at a security checkpoint by suspicious police as he walked towards Kabul's main cricket ground where a match was under way.

The SITE monitoring group said the Islamic State's local Khorasan province affiliate had claimed the attack - the latest in a series of deadly assaults in the city.

"The security forces by sacrificing themselves have prevented the attacker from reaching the crowd (inside the stadium) and creating a catastrophe," police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP.

Two of the wounded were police officers. Several ambulances were seen speeding away from the scene, apparently taking the injured to hospital, an AFP reporter said.

Scores of police blocked the road leading to the stadium where the sixth match of the Shpageeza Cricket League, a domestic T20 tournament, between the Boost Defenders and Mis Ainak Knights was under way.

A handful of foreign players are also taking part in the competition which started Monday.

South African batsman Cameron Delport, who is playing for the Defenders, expressed his sorrow for the victims of the explosion on Twitter.

"Sad to hear about the Bomb Blast during our game outside the stadium. Thank god we are all safe,Condolences to the people that passed away," he wrote.

Hundreds of spectators could be heard from outside the stadium as firefighters washed down the road where the bomber had blown himself to bits.

Afghanistan Cricket Board spokesman Farid Hotak told AFP the match was briefly interrupted and "all players and cricket board officials are safe".

Cricket was banned in Afghanistan during the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule but the sport has seen a stunning revival in recent years.

The last major attack in Kabul happened on Aug 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a bank days before the Eid festival, killing five people and wounding several others.

Wednesday's assault came hours after eight Afghans expelled from Germany arrived in Kabul as Berlin resumed deportations of Afghan asylum seekers.

It had suspended the process when a huge truck bomb tore through the city's highly fortified diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing around 150 people and wounding hundreds more.

The latest group represented the sixth wave of repatriations of Afghans from Germany since December under a disputed Afghan-European Union deal aimed at curbing the influx of migrants.

Berlin has argued that it can safely repatriate people to Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, even as Taliban and Islamic State militants terrorise much of the country.

"They told me that there is no problem in your country and you can live there so you can't stay here (Germany) anymore," Mohammad Jamshidi, one of the deportees, told AFP.</s>A suicide bomber killed three people (including a policeman) and injured seven others after blowing up himself near a cricket stadium in Kabul city. As per latest reports, a league match was going on at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium, near which the explosion took place. The Kabul International Stadium is hosting the Shpageeza Cricket League which began on Monday.

The attacker detonated the bomb after he was stopped at a security checkpoint as he walked towards the stadium where a match was under way.

Basir Mujahid, a policeman spoke to the AFP and said, “The security forces by sacrificing themselves have prevented the attacker from reaching the crowd (inside the stadium) and creating a catastrophe,”

Several ambulances were seen speeding away from the scene, apparently taking the injured to hospital, an AFP reporter said.

 Farid Hotak, a spokesman for the Afghanistan Cricket Board spoke to AFP and said, “The game was briefly interrupted and all players and cricket board officials are safe.”

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App</s>New Delhi: In news coming in from the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, a blast was heard during a cricket league match on Wednesday. According to Tolo News, it is a case of suicide bombing and two security men have lost their lives.

While the blast happened, a league match was going on at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium, near which the explosion took place. The game was immediately stopped after the blast was heard. All players were said to be safe. This news has come when a World XI squad is touring Pakistan.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are deprived of hosting regular international cricket games due to the security problem in their countries.

The Afghanistan cricket team currently have Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, India, as its home base. The Kabul International Stadium is hosting the Shpageeza Cricket League which began on Monday and is scheduled to run till September 22.

It is an annual T20 tournament and is in its fifth season. Latest media reports indicated that the game which was stopped after the blast on Wednesday may later be resumed. The T20 league is a big hit in Afghanistan and was even able to rope in famous Australian commentator Dean Jones as broadcaster for its ongoing season.</s>A suicide bomber killed three people including a policeman and wounded five others after blowing himself up near a cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, police said. The attacker detonated the bomb after he was stopped at a security checkpoint as he walked towards the stadium where a match was under way.

“The security forces by sacrificing themselves have prevented the attacker from reaching the crowd (inside the stadium) and creating a catastrophe,” police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP. Two of the wounded were police officers.

Several ambulances were seen speeding away from the scene, apparently taking the injured to hospital, an AFP reporter said. The blast happened during a cricket match inside the stadium, Farid Hotak, a spokesman for the Afghanistan Cricket Board, told AFP. The game was briefly interrupted, Hotak said, adding “all players and cricket board officials are safe”.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>>Kabul: A suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint near a cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday as a match was under way, killing at least two people, officials said.

There were no immediate details on the casualties but Tolo News Television quoted the Afghan Cricket Board as saying all players were safe.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility or details of the players.

Cricket, which spread from refugee camps in Pakistan, has become one of Afghanistan's most popular sports and the national team has become increasingly successful, raising the profile of the game. View More
A suicide bombing occurs at a checkpoint near the Kabul International Cricket Stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least three people and injuring five.