Female soccer players evacuated from Afghanistan to Qatar

By The Associated Press

Qatar says female soccer players have been evacuated from Afghanistan on a flight to Doha. Qatar’s assistant foreign minister Lolwah Alkhater says “around 100 footballers and their families including female players are on board.” Qatar worked with FIFA to coordinate the evacuation of players, who were taken to a compound with other evacuees to undergo coronavirus testing. It is unclear how long they will stay in Qatar. Concerns were raised for the safety of female athletes after the Afghan government fell much faster than publicly anticipated by the United States in August, allowing the Taliban to take back control of Kabul.