UNAMA Condemns ‘Brutal’ Attack At Cricket Stadium in Jalalabad

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Saturday condemned the attack at a cricket stadium in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province that killed at least eight civilians and injured at least 55 others.

Four explosives were detonated, targeting the people who were gathered to watch a match between two local teams at the cricket stadium, UNAMA said in a statement.

According to the statement, two of the explosives were detonated inside the stadium, and the other two outside, timed in an apparent attempt to target those fleeing the first blasts.

“The explosions left scores dead and injured, with many of the injured now in critical condition.”

“I am outraged by this attack that used four bombs carefully calculated to kill and maim civilians watching a cricket match,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “This cold and brutal act can have no justification whatsoever; those responsible must be held accountable.”

“At a time when Afghans are looking toward much-needed peace, we must not allow such attacks to deter our collective resolve to make progress on ending the conflict,” said Yamamoto, who is also head of UNAMA.

“The United Nations stands with Afghans in solidarity and remains committed to an Afghan-led peace process that will end the war and enable Afghanistan to allocate more resources to protect all citizens from such atrocities.”

The UN envoy, meanwhile, expressed condolences to those killed in the attack and wished a full and speedy recovery to those injured. 

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings.