Afghan baby, tossed to US army in viral video, reunites with father

Finally some good news for Afghanistan! The crying baby, who was seen being handed to US Marine troops over a barbed-wire fence at the Kabul airport in the viral video, was reunited with his father, the New York Times reported quoting US Department of Defence.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the infant required urgent medical care. The baby was treated at a Norwegian hospital and later reunited with its family. The US Marine Corps also said the baby was safe at the airport.

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“The baby seen in the video was taken to a medical treatment facility on-site and cared for by medical professionals. I can confirm the baby was reunited with their father and is safe at the airport,” said Major James Stenger, a spokesman for the Marines in an email to NYT.

The NYT report further stated that the official did not reveal other details like the gender, or how many children were taken to the facility. The department, however, sent some pictures of US Marines playing with children at military checkpoints and giving children water. 

Several media reports said that many Afghan families were seen giving away their babies over the fences at Kabul airport in a desperate attempt to send them to safety.

The video in question can be seen here.

The heartbreaking video shows a child being passed to a man by a woman before she herself scales a wall at the airport over the wire fences. The baby is crying as he is being tossed away. In another post, the child was seen sleeping on the cargo floor of a U.S. Air Force C-17 in a picture that has gone viral on social media.

As far as the evacuation operations are concerned, about 4,500 US troops and 900 British soldiers are helping with evacuation efforts at the airport.

Over 12,700 people have been successfully evacuated from Afghanistan by the US forces since the last week when the Taliban swiftly couped the country.