Latest News
Melbourne Stars sign Zahir Khan for Big Bash League
Australia’s Melbourne Stars have secured Afghanistan spinner Zahir Khan ahead of the upcoming Big Bash League season.
Stars announced the agreement on their website Wednesday and said the 21-year-old left-arm wrist spinner is expected to be available for the full BBL season.
Khan’s signing follows last week’s confirmation the club had also secured England’s Jonny Bairstow and West Indian Nicholas Pooran on the club’s international roster.
Khan played eight matches for the Brisbane Heat last season, taking eight wickets and has represented teams in the IPL, Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League.
Khan said he was excited about playing for Stars and said he expected them to do well in the upcoming BBL.
“I’m really looking forward to playing for the Stars during this BBL season. The squad is looking strong and I’d like to thank the club for giving me the chance to be part of it. Together I am sure we will build a successful season,” Khan said.
Melbourne Stars Head Coach David Hussey welcomed Khan’s signing.
“We’re looking forward to having Zahir on board for this season. His left arm wrist spin will give us a variety of options. Together with Adam Zampa, Tom O’Connell, Clint Hinchliffe and the support our skipper Glenn Maxwell, we’re pleased with the group of spinners we’ll have available over the course of the season,” Hussey said.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Stars General Manager Nick Cummins said the club had almost finalised the squad for the season.
“We’re bringing together some of the most talented T20 players in the world this season with a truly international roster. We’re looking forward to having Zahir on board and the support of Melbourne’s Afghan community behind him,” Cummins said.
Latest News
Khalilzad warns Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions likely to worsen after fresh airstrikes
Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the latest Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and recent violence inside Pakistan are part of a wider crisis, saying he sees no indication that the situation is about to change.
In a post on X on Thursday, Khalilzad described the Pakistani airstrikes that have killed Afghan civilians and the increasing use of force against civilians in Pakistan as “interconnected tragedies,” implying both effected by Pakistan’s establishment.
“Unfortunately, I do not see any signs of change,” Khalilzad said, adding that current indicators suggested the use of force against Pakistanis would “likely get worse” in the coming days.
His comments came after Pakistan carried out a new wave of airstrikes inside Afghanistan overnight Thursday, saying it had targeted 10 locations used to launch and store drones.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghan territory a day earlier and described them as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”
Afghan officials said the strikes killed four civilians. The attacks reportedly hit locations including Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities have denied launching the drones cited by Pakistan and have condemned the strikes.
The latest attacks follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while the United Nations confirmed that three Afghan civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed, with four others injured.
The renewed airstrikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Afghan authorities reject the allegations and say militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.
Khalilzad has previously called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward both its internal security problems and Afghanistan.
Latest News
Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.
The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.
The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.
The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.
It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.
The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.
Latest News
Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar
The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.
Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.
Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.
According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.
Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.
The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.
-
Sport3 days agoAfghanistan to face Japan and Nepal in Asian Games cricket group stage
-
Latest News4 days agoPakistan says Kohat attackers had roots in Afghanistan
-
Latest News5 days agoOIC to hold Afghanistan Contact Group meeting on sidelines of UN General Assembly
-
Regional5 days agoFlames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital
-
Regional4 days agoIran and US trade threats after Houthi attacks escalate regional conflict
-
Business4 days agoDogharoun handles 60% of Iran’s exports to Afghanistan
-
World3 days agoCNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump, challenging White House ban
-
World5 days agoWorld leaders return to UN amid wars in Middle East and Ukraine

