Afghanistan: Concerns and dangers of other players after the murder of a female volleyball player

Zahra Fayazi fled Afghanistan a month ago and came to Britain

Two former members of Afghanistan's women's volleyball team have told the BBC that the rest of their players are hiding from the Taliban and that one of the team's players was killed last month.

About 30 players say their lives are in danger and they are trying to escape Afghanistan somehow.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month, some of the team's players moved to different provinces to escape the Taliban.

Zahra Fayazi arrived in the UK about a month after fleeing Afghanistan. She became the coach of the Afghan women's volleyball team after playing for seven years.

Zahra told the jaanisports that one of her teammates had been killed, but it was not immediately clear under what circumstances she died.

"We don't want it to be repeated with the rest of the girls," she said.

Zehra is still in contact with her former comrades, who are hiding from one place to another to save their lives.

"They even burned their sports equipment to save themselves and their families. They don't want to have anything to do with the game. They are scared. "

"Many of our players from the provinces have been threatened many times by their relatives who are Taliban or followers of the Taliban.

The Taliban have told the families of our players not to allow their girls to play or they will face unexpected violence.

Sofia, who is using the pseudonym to protect her family in Afghanistan, was a key member of the Afghan volleyball team. But two years ago, when two men attacked her with knives in Kabul, she moved to a neighboring country.

He said the Taliban had already threatened him to stop playing volleyball.

Sofia's family destroyed all the medals and kits they could not take with them when they fled because they feared they could be targeted if they fell into the wrong hands.

Sofia is in regular contact with her former teammates. He also said that a player was shot dead last month, although the details of the murder are not yet clear.

"I'm sure they were Taliban," she said. At that time, the Taliban were occupying all the cities and there was no other group that could do that. She was just a player and she didn't do anything to get people to attack her. "

"We all wonder how it happened, we can't believe it. Maybe we'll lose other friends too. "

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in Afghanistan.

The first women's national team was founded almost four decades ago but was dissolved in 1996 when the Taliban came to power. The Taliban ruled for five years. The team was reconstituted in 2001 after US-led forces overthrew the Taliban government.

But when the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August, the lives of Afghanistan's female athletes were once again in danger.

The Taliban have not yet passed any concrete laws on sports and women, but Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, recently told SBS Radio Pashto that it is not necessary for women to play sports.

Last week, female players on the national junior football team finally crossed the border into Pakistan after hiding from the Taliban for weeks.

Earlier this month, members of the women's cricket team were told that their lives were in danger and that they were hiding out of fear.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have not yet allowed girls to go to secondary schools, and only male and female teachers can return to the classrooms.

Zahra and Sofia have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to help the volleyball team leave Afghanistan, lest it be too late.

An IOC spokesman said he was "helping many male and female athletes and organizers of the Games in Afghanistan."

"For obvious reasons, we will not comment on any individual cases, especially those that are currently being worked on," he said.

A spokesman for the FIVB said: "The issue of helping any member of the Afghan volleyball family is very sensitive and while respecting the privacy and safety of all involved, no further details will be given.

Both Zahra and Sofia hope to reunite with their teammates on the volleyball court one day but have little hope that this will happen in Afghanistan.

"We are stuck in a dark age," she said.

"I don't see any future for volleyball in Afghanistan. "Fortunately, if we help them get out, there is a possibility of forming a team outside Afghanistan."

"We lost everything in one day, but we want to move on," Sofia said.

"We want the world to help us achieve the goals and aspirations we have worked for. This is our dream, we can't give up. "