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They move from place to place at a moment's notice in a desperate bid to evade the Taliban — girls whose lives are in danger simply because they chose to play a sport they loved.

An international effort to evacuate members of the Afghanistan national girls soccer team, along with dozens of family members and soccer federation staff, suffered a crushing setback last week after a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed 169 Afghans and 13 US service members during a harrowing airlift.

Most members of the Afghan women's team, formed in 2007, were evacuated to Australia last week.

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Now, frightened and desperate, the girls worry whether a far-flung coalition of former US military and intelligence officials, congressmen, US allies, humanitarian groups and the captain of the Afghanistan women's national team can get them and their loved ones to safety.

"They're just unbelievable young ladies who should be playing in the backyard, playing on the swing set, playing with their friends, and here they're in a very bad situation for doing nothing more than playing soccer," said Robert McCreary, a former congressional chief of staff and White House official under President George W. Bush who has worked with special forces in Afghanistan. "We need to do everything that we can to protect them, to get them to a safe situation.

Most members of the Afghan women's team, formed in 2007, were evacuated to Australia last week.

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But the girls, ages 14-16, and their families also could be targeted by the Taliban — not just because women and girls are forbidden to play sports, but because they were advocates for girls and active members of their communities, said Farkhunda Muhtaj, who is captain of the Afghanistan women's national team and lives in Canada.

"They are devastated. They're hopeless, considering the situation they're in," said Muhtaj, who keeps in contact with the girls and urges them to stay calm.

There have been at least five failed attempts to rescue the girls in recent days, as they were moved around for their safety, McCreary and Muhtaj said. They were "footsteps from freedom" when the suicide bombing occurred, Muhtaj said.

Complicating the rescue effort is the size of the group. 133 people, including the 26 youth team members as well as adults and other children, including infants. Many don't have passports or other necessary documentation to board flights from Kabul.

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McCreary said the mission — called Operation Soccer Balls — is working with other countries, with the hope the girls will eventually settle in the US. He said Australia, France and Qatar have expressed interest in helping. He also urged the Taliban to ease the exit for the group, saying it would create goodwill.

"If we can put a protective bubble around these women and young girls … I really believe the world will stand up and and take notice and have a lot of offers to take them in and host them," McCreary said.

Former US women's national soccer team captain Julie Foudy, a two-time World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, said the rescue efforts "raise the visibility of these young women and their importance to equality and democracy and all these things that we value in this country."

READ MORE: US dropped 'Ninja bomb' to kill terrorists in Afghanistan

"As many of us who can stand up as female athletes — as humans — and say, 'This is a moment we need to come together and do what's right,' then we absolutely should," she said.

Nic McKinley, a CIA and Air Force veteran who founded Dallas-based DeliverFund, a nonprofit that's secured housing for 50 Afghan families, said he understood that the US was focused on relocating Afghans who helped American forces, but that others need help, too.

"What about the little girl who just wants to kick a ball around a field and wants to do that well, and has worked hard to do that at a world class level who finds herself suddenly in jeopardy only because she just wanted to play a sport and had a passion for playing that sport?" he said. "The only thing that they had done wrong in the eyes of the Taliban … is the fact that they were born girls and they had the audacity to dream of doing something."

McCreary said the rescue team feels personally responsible because the US helped the girls go to school and play soccer.

"We need to protect them now," he said. "They should not be in harm's way for things that we helped them do."

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A koala has been returned safely to bushland in Sydney's south-west after straying from home and becoming stuck on top of a roof.

The animal was seen perched on top of the house in St Helens Park, in Campbelltown, by a concerned resident who swiftly called in the experts.

Volunteers from Sydney Wildlife Rescue were quickly on the scene yesterday morning along with crews from Fire and Rescue NSW.

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It's unclear why the male koala found himself on the roof of the property, with local rescuers calling him "naughty".

Photos of the koala on top of the roof where shared on Facebook group Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown, along with details about the "challenging rescue".

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A large ladder was brought in to gain access to the animal before he was placed in a carrier and taken to a more appropriate home.

"This koala was well checked over and there was no reason for him to come into care, so he was taken to nearby bush where he was released back into his natural habitat and within minutes he was up high and eating," the group explained on the post.

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"It's not often this happens but we do attend some rescues where a koala is in a bit of a predicament and needing extra assistance."

The group is urging the community to immediately contact the experts if they see any sick, injured or displaced wildlife in need of help, such as Sydney Wildlife Rescue on 9413 4300.

Cameron Dale, the long-term partner of Queensland solo sailing star Jessica Watson, has died, aged 29, following a catastrophic stroke.

Watson, who became the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world more than 10 years ago, on Wednesday evening confirmed the tragic loss of her fellow boat lover.

"Cam and I have been inseparable since 2011, our shared world centred on messing about on boats," she said, on Instagram.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CTRTvA6v0Rh/

"Describing what Cam means to me is impossible – everyone who knows us understands how much we simply loved each other."

Even after all of her achievements, including Young Australian of the Year, Youth Representative for the United Nations World Food Program and receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia, Ms Watson said being "Cam's 'Jess' is the role I'm most proud of."

"Even while experiencing indescribable grief, I feel so grateful for the family, friends, and communities Cam has given me and the person I've become with him," she said.

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"I take enormous strength from having been so devotedly loved. The years of treasured memories offer enormous comfort."

Mr Dale died on Monday, nearly six weeks after a catastrophic stroke, despite the best efforts of staff at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Ms Watson said.

The story of how Ms Watson became the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world at just 16, a title — but not official world record — she held until 2012, is set to become a Netflix feature film based on her best-selling memoir, True Spirit.

Ten teens have been charged with attempted murder after a 17-year-old boy was allegedly set upon as he slept at a home in Brisbane's inner city.

Police say a large group of males went to an address on Terrace Street, Milton around 3am on Saturday, where they allegedly forced their way into the boy's bedroom and assaulted him before fleeing.

The boy suffered extensive injuries to his head and was taken to hospital where he remains in a coma on life support.

READ MORE: Sixth person charged with murder after alleged bashing of Sydney teen

https://twitter.com/R_DAlessandro9/status/1432963811900723205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Man charged with murder after teenage boy found dead in NSW unit

An investigation was launched and following enquiries, detectives arrested 10 teens from Brisbane's southside today.

The group are aged between 15 and 19 and have all been charged with attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and contravening an order about information to access information stored electronically.

The group is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.

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