Afghanistan’s female volleyball team fears Taliban

The players from Afghanistan’s female volleyball team are hiding from the Taliban. Taliban has killed one of the squad in the last month. Near about 30 players are hoping to escape from the country in fear of their lives.

Some of the female volleyball team members have moved to the services to avoid detection from Talivb, who have gained control over the nation. Zahra Fayazi arrived in the UK about a month ago after being freed from the country. She played for the women’s volleyball team of the nation for seven years before becoming the coach.

She told me that one from the squad had been killed, but the details are unclear for the present. Also, she is still in contact with her former teammates. Many of them are still on the move. Their players who are living in the provinces had to leave and live in other places.

They have even burned their sports equipment to save themselves and their families. They don’t want to keep anything related to sports with them.

“Many of our players who are from provinces were threatened many times by their relatives who are Taliban and Taliban followers,” she said. “The Taliban asked our players’ families not to allow their girls to do sport. Otherwise, they will be faced with unexpected violence.”

Sophia is using the pseudonym to protect her family. She was the leading member of the team. But she fell to a country two years ago when two men stabbed her in Kabul. She had received threats from the Taliban to stop playing.

Her family has destroyed any medals and hits that she could not take with her while escaping. Sophia is in regular contact with her teammates. One of them shot dead last month.

She is pretty sure that it was the Taliban and not any other groups who have done this. They are all living in shock about how it happened. They fear that they may lose other friends. Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in Afghanistan.

The first women’s team started its journey again in 2000. But the lives of the female athletes in the country ended when the Taliban took control again. They are yet to pass any firm law about sports and women. But the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission said women don’t need to play any sport.

Credits: BBC