Kerry catches earful of Afghan women's hopes and fears

[Mass]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57576274/kerry-catches-earful-of-afghan-womens-hopes-and-fears/

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN John Kerry bounced a soccer ball off his head and tossed it to Zahra Mahmoodi, the captain of the Afghan Women's National Soccer team, during a friendly exchange Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Mahmoudi founded the team in 2006 after the Taliban, which banned women from playing sports, was ousted from power from by NATO-led forces. The prominent Afghan athlete told Kerry her goal is to make it to the Olympics, and she sent Kerry home to the U.S. with a request: help her team find a new practice field. The women's soccer field in Kabul has been turned into a helicopter landing pad for international military forces.

That may be one of the easier requests the Secretary of State received during his two-day visit to Kabul. He met with a number of prominent Afghan women during an Entrepreneurship Showcase held on Embassy grounds. Virtually each one of the eight women selected to meet Kerry took the opportunity of being face-to-face with the U.S. Secretary of State to express fears over their security and well-being after NATO-led forces draw down their military presence at the end of 2014.
...
The goal is to integrate elements of the Taliban into the political system so the Afghan government can maintain control of the country after international forces leave. Karzai said he'll begin the formal reconciliation process in the next few days. The Qatari government will host any future peace talks in Doha.

On Tuesday morning, the Taliban claimed responsibility for multiple suicide bomb attack on a police facility in eastern Afghanistan. At least four police were killed and four others injured. The attack underscored the fact that the Taliban is still a threat to the Afghan government.

Women's rights were a key issue for Kerry's predecessor Hillary Clinton, and he has pledged to continue to prioritize it as part of his foreign policy agenda.

Good to see that women have a chance to say their word. Hopefully, there is a way to help without maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan. It breaks my heart that there is really no good solution there with people like Karzai involved, but we cannot leave troops forever.

[wisteria]

1. Nice article. I to hope something comes from te meeting. n/t

[karynnj]

2. NESN has a little video of his heading the ball

http://nesn.com/2013/03/john-kerry-works-on-soccer-skills-during-visit-to-afghanistan-gif/