India, Oct. 18 -- In a major escalation of cross-border hostilities, the Pakistan Army has reportedly once again violated the ceasefire along the Durand Line, launching heavy shelling in Afghanistan's Paktia province that killed at least 10 civilians, including three local cricketers, and injured eight others.

Following the attack, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has withdrawn its national team from next month's Twenty20 tri-series in Pakistan.

The ACB said in a post on social media Saturday that the cricketers were "targeted during a gathering" in Urgun district when they returned home after playing a friendly cricket match in Sharana, the capital of Paktika province.

Former Afghan member of Parliament Mariam Solaimankhil, speaking to N...