Wahidullah Asghari, the former head of Afghanistan’s national snooker federation, was killed in an attack by armed men near downtown Kabul, Taliban officials confirmed on Friday.
A spokesman for the Taliban-run sports authority, Allah Mohammad Mashwani, confirmed the killing and said an investigation had begun. He did not provide details about the circumstances of the attack.
Sports officials described Asghari’s death as “regrettable” and said he had made significant contributions to the development of snooker in Afghanistan during his years of service.
Some sources said Asghari had gone missing near his home in the Qala-e-Fathullah area of Kabul before his body was later returned to his family by forensic authorities. Those details could not be independently verified.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killing. Taliban said efforts were underway to identify those responsible.
Local media reported that, following his death, qualifying competitions for a national snooker championship had been suspended.
The killing comes as Taliban have repeatedly said security conditions in the country have improved. Earlier this month, at least 13 people were killed in a separate armed attack in the western province of Herat.
