Afghan batsman Najeeb Tarakai dies of road accident injuries
Kabul, Oct 6 (PTI): Afghanistan''s top-order batsman Najeeb Tarakai has died of the injuries he sustained in a road accident last weekend, the country''s Cricket Board (ACB) said on Tuesday. He was 29.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board had on Saturday tweeted that Tarakai was "severely injured in a car accident" suffered on October 2 and had undergone a surgery.
According to ACB, Tarakai, who was initially treated in Nangarhar, was expected to be shifted to Kabul or outside the country as soon as possible.
"ACB and Afghanistan Cricket Loving Nation mourns the heart breaking & grievous loss of its aggressive opening batsman & a very fine human being Najeeb Tarakai (29) who lost his life to tragic traffic accident leaving us all shocked!," the ACB tweeted.
"May Allah Shower His Mercy on him," it added.
Tarakai represented the national team in 12 T20Is and one ODI. The right-handed batsman made his international debut at the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
His highest international score was 90 which came against Ireland in a T20 International series in March 2017. Tarakai''s last international appearance was in September 2019 against Bangladesh.
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US confirms Israel's attack on Iran, says it was not involved
Washington: In response to recent developments, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed concerns regarding reported offensive operations involving Israel and Iran. Blinken emphasized that the United States has not been engaged in any offensive operations, stressing on the nation's commitment to de-escalating tensions in the region.
Speaking on behalf of the G7, Blinken reiterated the focus on de-escalation efforts, as reflected in their recent discussions and statements. He emphasized the importance of working collaboratively to reduce tensions and promote stability.
Earlier reports had indicated that the US received advance notification of a planned Israeli strike on Iran, scheduled for the coming days. However, Blinken clarified that while the US was informed of the intended strike, it did not endorse the action. This statement highlights the United States' stance of neutrality in the matter and its commitment to diplomatic solutions to mitigate tensions.
"We’re committed to Israel’s security. We’re also committed to de-escalating -- to trying to bring this tension to a close," Blinken said during a news conference at the conclusion of the group's meeting in Capri, Italy, hours after a US official told CNN that Israel had launched a military strike on Iran.
He also said the countries shared "a commitment to hold Iran to account."
Blinken said the nations condemned Iran's weekend strikes on Israel. He called those attacks "unprecedented in scope and scale; scope because it was a direct attack on Israel from Iran, scale because it involved more than 300 munitions including ballistic missiles."
