Afghan woman gives birth aboard US evacuation plane

An Afghanistan woman, who was being evacuated from the country following the Taliban takeover, gave birth to a baby girl aboard a military aircraft on August 21. The US Air Force said the the woman went into labour en route to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and gave birth to the girl in the aircraft’s cargo hold after it landed. 

“During a flight from an Intermediate Staging Base in the Middle East, the mother went into labor and began having complications. The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize and save the mother’s life,” the US Air Mobility Command said in a Twitter post.

Also Read: T-shirt mocking Afghans falling from plane causes outrage

“Upon landing, Airmen from the 86th MDG came aboard and delivered the child in the cargo bay of the aircraft. The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition.”

Also Read: Why Panjshir Valley is crucial for anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan

Several people took to the comments section to congratulate the mother and thank the US Air Force for assistance. 

“May this mother and child have a brighter future than in Afghanistan. So grateful for our military that flew at a lower altitude to save the woman and helped deliver the baby,” one person wrote.

“Its a sudden situation so privacy may be provided to her as available time limits and labour cover. But it happened so my prayers & wishes for both new born baby & mother,” wrote another person. 

Thousands of Afghans are thronging the Harmid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in an desperate attempt to flee the country after the Taliban takeover. US forces currently control the Kabul airport and as of Saturday, about 17,000 people have  been airlifted from the site by the US military.