Afghan woman gives birth on military plane

Published August 23, 2021
MEDICAL support personnel help an Afghan woman off a US Air Force C-17 moments after she delivered a baby aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein air base in Germany.—AFP
MEDICAL support personnel help an Afghan woman off a US Air Force C-17 moments after she delivered a baby aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein air base in Germany.—AFP

BERLIN: An Afghan woman gave birth to a baby girl on a US military plane shortly after arriving on an evacuation flight to Germany, the US Air Force tweeted on Sunday.

During the flight from a staging base in the Middle East, the woman went into labour and began to experience complications, it said.

“The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilise and save the mother’s life,” the US Air Mobility Command said later on Twitter.

Immediately on landing at the Ramstein base, US military medics helped the woman deliver her baby in the cargo hold of the plane.

Mother and child were then transferred to a nearby medical facility “and are in good condition”, it said.

Footage released by the US military showed the mother lying on a stretcher being carried off the plane by US soldiers at the base in southwest Germany.

A week after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, evacuation operations from foreign countries continue under extreme conditions marked by scenes of panic and desperation at Kabul airport.

Since 14 August, about 17,000 people have been evacuated by the US, including 2,500 Americans, the US government said earlier.

The US got the green light from Berlin for some of the evacuees to be directed to Germany, where it has a number of bases.

About 1,150 people landed at the Ramstein base on Saturday, from where they are expected to depart for the United States within days, a base spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

E-governance
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

E-governance

Wishing for a viable e-governance system seems like a pipe dream when stable internet connectivity is not guaranteed.
Khuzdar rampage
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

Khuzdar rampage

Authorities must explain how terrorists were able to commandeer the area for eight hours.
Beyond wheelchairs
10 Jan, 2025

Beyond wheelchairs

THE KP government’s Rs370m assistance programme for persons with disabilities is a positive step, not only in ...
Taking cover
Updated 09 Jan, 2025

Taking cover

IT is unfortunate that, instead of taking ownership of important decisions, our officials usually seem keener to ...
A living hell
09 Jan, 2025

A living hell

WHAT Donald Trump does domestically when he enters the White House in just under two weeks is frankly the American...
A right denied
09 Jan, 2025

A right denied

DESPITE citizens possessing the constitutional and legal right to access it, federal ministries are failing to...