Medical auxiliaries from the 86th Medical Group assist an Afghan mother and her family from a U.S. Air Force C-17 shortly after they gave birth to a child aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 21 Has.
US Air Mobility Command
WASHINGTON – The U.S. commander overseeing the colossal airlift in Afghanistan said at least three babies were born on evacuation flights from Kabul – a powerful reminder of the desperation and humanity at the center of this highly risky military mission to evacuate a war zone.
“I really appreciate the news about the baby’s birth when this flight landed in Ramstein,” US Air Force Base in Germany, US Army General Steve Lyons, told reporters on Monday.
“There was actually more than that so it’s just an incredible operation going on, you know, just amazing work by our great airmen,” he said, adding that his most recent record was three babies.
Lyons added that while the US doesn’t have medics on every flight, evacuees undergo a medical exam before boarding the plane.
Read more about developments in Afghanistan:
An Afghan woman went into labor on Saturday on a C-17 military cargo evacuation flight.
“The aircraft commander made the decision to lower the altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which has helped stabilize and save the mother’s life,” the US Air Mobility Command wrote in a statement.
After landing in Ramstein, the baby and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility. The statement added that the two were in good shape.
The latest revelation comes as the Pentagon accelerates its evacuation efforts and provides nearly 200 aircraft for the military mission.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced that the US has evacuated or helped evacuate approximately 37,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, of whom approximately 10,400 were flown out over the weekend.
Since the end of July, the US has relocated around 42,000 people from Afghanistan. According to the State Department, there are still several thousand Americans in the country pending evacuation.
