Indus Valley Times

KABUL, AUG 21 :In a heart-rending video that surfaced on Friday, a crying baby was seen being handed over a barbed-wire fence to US Marine troops at the Kabul airport. The US Department of Defence later confirmed the baby had been reunited with its father and “is safe at the airport”, The New York Times reported.

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, Kirby said on Friday. The US Marine Corps said the baby was safe at the airport.

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“I can confirm the uniformed service member depicted in the video is a Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The baby seen in the video was taken to a medical treatment facility on site and cared for by medical professionals,” Marine Corps spokesperson Major Jim Stenger said in a statement.

Reports have said multiple Afghan families, desperate to escape the new Taliban regime, were seen throwing their babies over the wired fences surrounding the Kabul airport.

“This is a true example of the professionalism of the Marines on site, who are making quick decisions in a dynamic situation in support of evacuation operations,” Stenger added, after confirming that the child had been handed back to its family.

Over 12,700 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan by US forces in the last week, since the Taliban swiftly seized control of the nation. On Friday, the US was forced to pause its evacuation flights for around eight hours after processing facilities in Qatar reached capacity.

US President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to bring all Americans trapped in Afghanistan back home. Biden is facing criticism for the chaotic scenes at the airport where Afghan nationals have thronged in a bid to flee the country. The Kabul airport is the only way out of Afghanistan at present.

-The Indian Express