Suicide bomb near cricket stadium in Kabul kills at least three

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint near the main cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least three people as a tournament was under way, officials said.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint near the main cricket stadium in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least three people as a tournament was under way, officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesmanNajibDanesh said two police and one civilian were killed and five people wounded. Local Tolo News Television quoted the Afghan Cricket Board as saying all players were safe.

A statement in Bosnian on Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said a suicide attack had been carried out on members of the Afghan security forces in Kabul, although it was not immediately clear whether the statement referred to the same incident.

Cricket, which spread from refugee camps in Pakistan, has become one of Afghanistan’s most popular sports and the national team has become increasingly successful, raising the profile of the game.