“All the players of the volleyball team and the rest of the women athletes are in a bad situation and in despair and fear,” the coach told the paper. “Everyone has been forced to flee and live in unknown places.”
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Handball player also killed by the Taliban
The entire Herat European Handball was left in Afghanistan as the Americans fled. The team tried repeatedly to get out of the country. But they were never allowed in the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The team knew they would be targeted, as early as April, when national player Nooria Tabesh, was gunned down in her home in the northern province of Sar-e-pul. This happened as the Taliban was starting to gain control of the country. The assailant fled to a nearby Taliban-controlled area after the murder.
“The Taliban asked our players’ families to not allow their girls to do sports, otherwise they will be faced with unexpected violence,” Fayazi said.
“They even burned their sports equipment to save themselves and their families. They didn’t want them to keep anything related to sport. They are scared,” she said.
