(30 Sep 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4346574

The girls from Afghanistan's national football team celebrated a week in Portugal on Wednesday with a surprise visit by captain of the senior team.
One week after landing in Portugal, where they have been granted asylum, the girls are already speaking the language.
The first word that comes to them is "obrigada" – thank you.
They smile with enthusiasm naturally but their faces light up as they are surprised by professional player Farkhunda Muhta, their captain, who flew in to surprise them.
They have all been on a weeks long journey to get all the girls and their families to safety and with Portugal granting them asylum the mission was accomplished.
"You are a fantastic nation for impacting the lives of so many girls and for supporting us in so many ways and providing these girls with asylum," Canada-based Farkhunda told the media followed by another "obrigada" and an applause.
Back in their home country, for weeks they had been moving around, waiting for word that they could leave on board a charter plane out of Afghanistan. Lisbon ended up being their final destination.
Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the girls, ages 14-16, and their families, had been trying to leave, fearing what their lives might become like under the Taliban — not just because women and girls are forbidden to play sports, but because they were advocates for girls and active members of their communities.
The rescue mission, called Operation Soccer Balls, was coordinated with the Taliban through an international coalition of former U.S. military and intelligence officials, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, U.S. allies, and humanitarian groups, said Nic McKinley, a CIA and Air Force veteran who founded Dallas-based DeliverFund, a nonprofit that's secured housing for 50 Afghan families.
Complicating the rescue effort was the size of the group – 80 people, including the 26 youth team members as well as adults and other children, including infants.
Now they are all safe and sound looking forward to get back on a football pitch and maybe meet Portuguese star Ronaldo along the way.

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