A basketball tournament kicked off in Kabul on Tuesday aimed at selecting the country's top players for the national squad.

The event will continue for five days.

More than 160 basketball players from Kabul, Bamiyan, Kandahar, Ghazni, Herat, Samangan, Balkh, Kunduz and Nangarhar provinces will compete for a place in the team.

Officials from the Basketball Federation said they will select new talent for the national A and B teams.

"The competition is important for us, because we continue our efforts to own a powerful and professional national team with members from all over the country," said Abdul Saboor Azizi, acting head of the federation.

"The tournament is effective for us and will help us display our talent and exchange our techniques with our co-players," said Amanullah Arghandiwal, a basketball athlete.

A total of 36 new players will be selected for the national A and B teams.