Foreign troops kill Afghan cricketer

ISLAMABAD: Foreign troops killed a member of Afghanistan's national cricket team and arrested his brother in Khost province last night, an official said Wednesday.

"Foreign forces raided the house of famous Afghan cricketer Rahmat Wali in Khadar Piran village, located three kilometres south of Khost city, and sprayed him with bullets after tying him," Azizur Rahman Malang, director of Khost Olympic Committee, told the Afghan Islamic Press.

Malang said later the foreign forces called in close airstrikes and bombed the house of the cricketer. He said the fire caused by the bombing burnt the body of the victim. "We do not know why the cricketer was killed, but he was a good cricketer. He was nowadays training other players," he said.

According to Malang, Rahmat Wali was a talented fast bowler and was declared the best cricketer of Afghanistan in 2004. "Afghanistan has been deprived of a good player," he remarked.

Malang said that Rahmat Wali played for Afghanistan's cricket team in Dubai, Kuwait, Pakistan and India. He said that protest rallies would be held all over Afghanistan today (Thursday) to protest the killing of the national cricketer Rahmat Wali.