Gunman kills 5 cricketers in Afghanistan

A gunman in the eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan opened fire at a group of local cricketers during a game killing 5 of them.

Sarhadii Zhouak, who is a provincial spoksperson, said the attack happened on Thursday in Alinghar district. The spokesman also claimed that the culprit fled the scene immediately and could not be nabbed.

Although no group had claimed responsibility, Mr. Zhouak blamed the Taliban.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued a statement condemning the attack.

Cricket in Afghanistan has just begun to grow in popularity with the Afghan national team set to take part in the Asia Cup next month. The team has also made history by securing qualification to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, its first foray into the 50-over World Cup. The team will also be making its third consecutive T20 World Cup at the 2014 ICC World T20 in Bangladesh.

Incidents like these are a huge obstacle to the development of the game in the country.