The group of girls' and junior national team players and their families, a total of 75 people, crossed the northern border with Pakistan before traveling on to the city of Lahore where they were greeted with flower garlands.



The footballers are some of a larger group of intellectuals and public figures, especially women, who have left Afghanistan since the Taliban took over a month ago.



Under the Taliban regime more than 20 years ago, girls were not allowed to go to school and women were banned from working and playing sports, and there are great fears that women will be restricted even now.



Last week, a Taliban official said women and girls should not be allowed to play cricket or play other sports where they are lightly dressed.

In connection with the Taliban's takeover, many female national football team players fled the country and a former captain urged players who remained in the country to burn their sports equipment and close their social media accounts to avoid retaliation.



The International Football Association Fifa said some time ago that they were working to evacuate the remaining players.

CLIP: Operation Soccer Balls - evacuate Afghanistan's girls national soccer team

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Operation Soccer Balls - evacuate Afghanistan's girls national soccer team