Afghan woman gives birth on US military flight

Berlin: The US military says an Afghan woman gave birth aboard an Air Force C-17 that flew from the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The base is being used as a transit post for people being evacuated from Afghanistan.

The military’s Air Mobility Command tweeted that the mother began having complications during the flight Saturday. It says: The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilise and save the mother’s life.”

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.

— Air Mobility Command (@AirMobilityCmd) August 21, 2021

On arrival at Ramstein, US medical personnel came aboard and delivered the child in the aircraft’s cargo bay. The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition, the military said.