At the White House, President Donald Trump gathered a group of US service members in the Roosevelt Room to talk about the Afghanistan War.

And less than a mile away a group of teens, most of whom have never lived in an Afghanistan without Americans serving at war in it, symbolized another view of life on the ground: the young generation that has grown up with an international presence in the country and that wants and works to be connected to the world well beyond its borders.

"For this new generation, things are different," Mahboob told me. "They want to be leaders in science and technology. They are very proud, they have full confidence. When we asked them to compete, if they could represent Afghanistan in this competition, they all said, 'Yes we can.' "

"I was surprised," Mahboob says.

Mahboob was only the start. These girls are now surprising Washington and the world as they travel far from home and offer those they meet a glimpse of a new Afghanistan, one whose fate is not yet clear, but whose stakes most certainly are.

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All-girl robotics team symbolizes a new Afghanistan - CNN International