Alva Review-Courier -

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Six female students from war-torn Afghanistan who had hoped to participate in an international robotics competition in the U.S. this month will have to watch via video link after their visa applications were denied — not once, but twice.

The girls wanted to show the world that Afghans can also construct a hand-made robot. But of 162 teams who planned to participate, the Afghan girls are the only nation's team to be denied visas by the U.S. and must participate from afar, watching from their hometown in western Afghanistan.

"When we heard that we were rejected we lost...