US Defense Department reveals story behind mother handing over her toddler to troops

The US Defense Department on Saturday issued a clarification behind the heart-wrenching video of an Afghan mother handing over her toddler to the US troops over a barbed wire. US Defense Department Spokesperson John Kirby revealed that the parents had urged the US Marines to take the baby to a hospital, which was located within the Kabul Airport premises, after he reportedly fell ill. The toddler has been successfully treated and reunited with his family. 

“The parent asked the Marines to look after the baby because the baby was ill, and so the Marine you see reaching over the wall took it to a Norwegian hospital that’s at the airport. They treated the child and returned the child to the child’s father," Kirby said.

Afghan mother hands toddler to US troops 

Heart-wrenching images and clips have emerged from the Kabul Airport as Afghans try to escape the Taliban regime. Amid the chaos, thousands of desperate civilians have tried to run behind flights or military planes taking off from the tarmac. Last week, civilians were captured clinging to the undercarriage and landing gear of a C-17 Globemaster. Two Afghans including a youth footballer lost their lives during the incident after falling from mid-air due to the huge G-force and wind speed as the plane took off.

Another painful sight was witnessed after a mother was caught handing over her toddler to the US troops on camera in Afghanistan. Standing behind a barbed wire amid a heavy crowd, the woman was seen requesting the US troops standing within the Kabul airport premises to take her baby. A US security personnel was seen taking the baby with one hand amidst wires into the secure area and passing it on to a colleague. As per the visual, the toddler does not look older than three months. Posting the video on Twitter, a user wrote, "as a father, this breaks my heart. What a world we live in." 

The Ashraf Ghani-led government formally handed over the country to the Taliban on August 15 when the militant group overran Kabul. After the President fled the war-torn nation, chaos broke out in different parts of the country.