President Trump intervenes to allow Afghan girls to enter US robotics competition

US President Donald Trump waves as walks on the South Lawn of the White House upon his return to Washington, from the G20 Summit in Hamburg, July 8, 2017. (File photo: Reuters)

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump intervened to allow a group of Afghan girls into the country to participate in a robotics competition.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the president’s intervention Wednesday.

Six female students from war-torn Afghanistan had hoped to participate in an international robotics competition this month. But their visa applications to enter the US were denied twice, sparking public backlash.

The girls would have had to participate from afar from their hometown in western Afghanistan had the US not reverse course.