An Afghan national female soccer team and their relatives have crossed into Pakistan en route to Europe and the U.S., an official at the country’s soccer federation said, as local media reported they were fleeing from threats after the Taliban barred their participation in sports.
"There was a commitment which was given to them by the outgoing Americans” before they left Afghanistan last month, said Farasat Ali Shah, a director at the Pakistan Football Federation. "They are in the transit for Europe or America.”
Several female athletes, entrepreneurs and politicians have fled Afghanistan already, fearing reprisals from the Taliban and their ultra-orthodox interpretation of Islamic law. The militants have sought to project a more moderate face since they took power on Aug. 15, saying women would be allowed to work within the bounds of Shariah law. But their actions have been in dissonance from that stance.
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