The bus journey from Herat in western Afghanistan to the capital Kabul took the young female football squad past rocket blasts and firefights. They were close by when a suicide bomber detonated at the airport. At the border they endured beatings and the threat of being stoned.
But thanks to their courage, and the generosity of a diverse group of supporters from around the world, including Leeds United Football Club, some of the most talented athletes in Afghanistan escaped the Taliban and are finding new beginnings in England’s north.
Recounting their getaway, and what has happened since they landed at Stansted airport in November, the team veered collectively from laughter to tears — traumatised by their ordeal yet happy to have found new hope.