Oklahoma Mom Flies to Afghanistan and Rescues Group of Afghan Girls from Taliban
Mother of 11 Allyson Reneau all-girls robotics team from terrorist-controlled country
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An Oklahoma mom has flown into terrorist-seized Afghanistan and rescued ten Afghan girls from the Taliban, according to reports.
Allyson Reneau, 60, went on a rescue mission to save Afghanistan's all-girls robotics team after reports of a Taliban takeover prompted fears over their safety.
Reneau was on the board of directors for Explore Mars when the organization flew the Afghan Girls Robotic Team to its annual Humans to Mars Conference in 2019.
The mother of 11 told Today that she "immediately connected" with the group of girls - who are ages 16 to 18 - and has kept in touch with them over the years.
On the night of August 3, Reneau, who graduated from Harvard in 2016 with a master's degree in international relations and U.S. space policy, found herself unable to sleep in her Oklahoma City home after learning about what was happening on the other side of the world.
"I didn’t know where to start but I couldn’t shake it," she told Today.
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"I said to myself, 'What do I have in my hand? Where can I start?'" Reneau added.
"I felt a little helpless," she revealed.
Reneau flew into Qatar on Aug. 9 to see if she could intercept the girls before the Taliban could get to them.
She said that she knew she needed to do something for the promising teens before the Taliban could do their worst.
Reneau said that she first called the office of Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe to discuss a possible intervention, but the senator — who serves on the Armed Services Committee — became inundated with requests for help from American citizens in Afghanistan.
That's when lightning struck, she said.
"I remembered my former roommate in D.C. a couple of years ago was transferred to Qatar," she recalled.
"She said she worked in the U.S. Embassy in Qatar. ...
"She was sure her boss would approve helping the girls. ...
"She wrote up a request and I got all of their passports together.
"She went back to the Embassy at midnight and worked all night to prepare the documents [and] packets for the girls."
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Reneau said that she was thrilled to help out the girls on the team.
"It's a very narrow window of opportunity," she said.
"I knew that if I didn't run through that door now — it's now or never. Sometimes you only get one chance."
The girls were able to fly out of the Kabul airport and were transported to a "secure location" in the United States, where they will pursue higher education, Reneau reported.
The outlet reports that Reneau is still working to secure safe passage to America for 25 more girls from the team.
