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LPhot Ben Shread/UK MOD Crown copyright 2021/Handout via REUTERS
- Players on Afghanistan's women's national soccer team left Kabul on an evacuation flight on Tuesday.
- They were joined by team officials and family members, the AP reported.
- Players were told last week to burn uniforms and wipe social media for evidence that they played.
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Players from Afghanistan's women's national soccer team left Kabul on an evacuation flight on Tuesday along with team officials and family members, the Associated Press reported.
"The last few days have been extremely stressful but today we have achieved an important victory," former team captain Khalida Popal told the AP.
Popal was part of a team of lawyers and activists who worked with authorities in six countries to get the team out of the country, according to the report.
"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," global soccer players' union FIFPRO said in a statement.
Just last week, the former captain of the team urged players to burn their uniforms and wipe social media accounts of any evidence that they played, fearing Taliban reprisals.
In Afghanistan, women playing sports is often seen as resistance against the Taliban, known for their brutal suppression of women's rights and freedoms. The Taliban retook control of the country earlier this month after the Afghanistan government collapsed as the US pulled military personnel out of the nation.