Afghan girls' football team land in UK on flight funded by Kim Kardashian
An Afghan girls youth football has landed safely in the UK, on an evacuation flight funded by US celebrity Kim Kardashian.
The girls - aged between 13 and 19 - feared persecution in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country, and some of the girls' families are reported to have received death threats.
The youth development team members landed at Stansted airport on Thursday morning - along with some family members and coaches - after an evacuation operation that was led by the charity Football For Peace.
Kashif Siddiqi, co-founder of Football For Peace, described the rescue effort as "a long 90 minutes, plus stoppage time".
The former Pakistan football international said he is "so relieved" that the girls are safely in the UK, and described the successful evacuation as "scoring the winning goal".
A variety of organisations were also involved in the evacuation, including former footballers, charity workers, and politicians.
The chairman of Leeds United Football Club, Andrea Radrizzani, was also involved. In a Twitter post after the flight landed, he said he dreams the girls will one day play for his Yorkshire football club.
The flight departed from Pakistan on Wednesday night, where the girls were originally evacuated to from Afghanistan. Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan gave special permission for the girls to cross the border into his country, following a campaign for the team to be evacuated.
However, they were only granted temporary visas in the country, which led to subsequent calls for the girls to be flown to safety and resettled in the UK.
US celebrity Kim Kardashian funded the flight from Pakistan, it has been confirmed. The celebrity and philanthropist - who appears in the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians - sponsored the flight with her company SKIMS.
The Tzedek Association - a Jewish charity based in New York - chartered the flight.
Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, president and founder of the Tzedek Association told ITV News he is "so happy and excited" for the girls and their families. "They are finally now coming to a place of safety and security", he said.
"Thank you Kim Kardashian West for your magnanimous assistance to fund this flight and make it a reality".
Rabbi Moshe, who is the son and grandson of Holocaust survivors, told ITV News: "I know in my heart that we must be there for others in their time of need at a time when their very lives are at risk" "We thank the UK for welcoming these girls and agreeing to be a haven for them."
"I pray that other countries follow suit", he said.
As well as Football For Peace, several other charities, including the ROKiT Foundation, and Play for Change, were key to getting the girls football team to safety.
One of the first appeals to help the team came from former Afghanistan captain Khalida Popal.
"The girls have been through a lot. They have had a very, very tough journey," she said.
The girls' and women's rights campaigner added: "They have been through a lot of stress and risk - hiding them in a hostel in Kabul and being displaced from their homes."
Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani - who also chairs the football charity Play for Change - expressed his delight and relief at the evacuation.
"Football is a powerful tool in building communities and bridging divides.
"Unfortunately, we have seen the opposite of this unfold in Afghanistan where the Afghan Girls Development National Youth Football Team has had to flee persecution.
"We have supported to give the girls a prosperous and peaceful future”, he said.