AFGHAN ALL-GIRL ROBOTICS TEAM MEMBERS LAND IN MEXICO - AND WOMEN'S FOOTBALL TEAM IN AUSTRALIA

Reuters 25 August 2021

© Reuters/MEXICO'S FOREIGN RELATIONS MINIS Members of Afghanistan's robotics team arrive to Mexico

By Katanga Johnson and Anthony Esposito

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Five members of an all-girl Afghan robotics team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday evening, fleeing an uncertain future at home after the recent collapse of the U.S.-backed government and takeover by the Taliban militant group.

"We give you the warmest welcome to Mexico," said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Martha Delgado as she greeted them during a news conference at Mexico City's international airport.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops from the country. The White House and U.S. allies are racing to complete the evacuation of all foreigners and vulnerable Afghans before the expiry https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/amid-kabul-evacuation-chaos-biden-under-pressure-extend-deadline-2021-08-23 of an Aug. 31 deadline agreed with the Taliban, U.S. President Joe Biden said this week.

© Reuters/MEXICO'S FOREIGN RELATIONS MINIS Members of Afghanistan's robotics team arrive to Mexico

The team, made up of girls and women as young as 14, has been heralded https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-afghanistan-ventil/afghan-all-girls-robotics-team-designs-low-cost-ventilator-to-treat-coronavirus-patients-idUSKCN24L0WO for winning international awards for its robots and started work in March on an open-source, low-cost ventilator as the coronavirus pandemic hit the war-torn nation.

The Taliban, which previously barred girls from schools and women from working when they ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, has promised to prioritize women's rights and girls' education.

Mexico has pledged to aid Afghan women and girls. Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter on Aug. 18 that the country had begun "processing of the first refugee applications of Afghan citizens, especially women and girls who have requested it," with the aid of Guillermo Puente Ordorica, Ambassador of Mexico in Iran.

© Reuters/MEXICO'S FOREIGN RELATIONS MINIS Members of Afghanistan's robotics team arrive to Mexico

Tuesday's safe arrival in Mexico was made possible by an "extensive international effort and coordination from a group of volunteers" who helped the girls, according to a volunteer who requested anonymity for fear of the safety of the families that remain under Taliban control.

The foreign ministry invited press to the arrival gates at Mexico City's airport at 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, saying a "large group of people from Afghanistan is expected to arrive" and Ebrard will offer a message.

Other members of the robotics team landed in Qatar in recent days.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Diego Ore in Mexico City; Editing by Heather Timmons, Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)

© Reuters/MEXICO'S FOREIGN RELATIONS MINIS Members of Afghanistan's robotics team arrive in Mexico© Reuters/MEXICO'S FOREIGN RELATIONS MINIS Members of Afghanistan's robotics team arrive to Mexico*****The Hill 24 August 2021

Players from Afghanistan women's national soccer team have been evacuated from Kabul amid the recent Taliban takeover.

In a statement on Tuesday, FIFPRO, a global soccer players union, thanked the Australian government for help to evacuate the national women's team and other Afghan athletes from the country.

"These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid," FIFPRO said in a statement.

Former Afghan national team captain Khalida Popal, who was one of the FIFPRO advisers that helped in the evacuation, said in the news release that this was a "important victory."

"The last few days have been extremely stressful but today we have achieved an important victory. The women footballers have been brave and strong in a moment of crisis and we hope they will have a better life outside Afghanistan," Popal said. "But there is still much more work to do. Women's football is a family and we must make sure everyone is safe."

The evacuation comes amid the recent fall of the Afghan government as the Taliban took control of Kabul last week, regaining full control for the first time since 2001, when U.S. troops arrived there in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons said on Monday that the Afghan flag will be flown at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics games.