Unaware of pregnancy, UK soldier delivers on Afghan frontline

In a first, a lady British soldier serving at a military base in Hemland province of Afghanistan has delivered a baby.

Zeenews Bureau

Hemland: In a first, a lady British soldier serving at a military base in Hemland province of Afghanistan has given birth to a baby boy, Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. The British woman, who served as a gunner with the Royal Artillery at Camp Bastion military base, had not been aware of her pregnancy, the BBC reports. She came to discover her pregnancy only when she went to the doctors, complaining of stomach pains. Camp Bastion was recently in news for September 11 attack by Taliban on the heavily protected base, killing two US marines. The female soldier serving at the frontline gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday, September 18, exactly a week after the Taliban attack. The baby was born five weeks prematurely but the mother and baby are said to be stable. "Mother and baby are both in a stable condition," said the Ministry of Defence, following the birth on Tuesday in Camp Bastion, Helmand province. In a statement, the MoD said: "It is not military policy to allow servicewomen to deploy on operations if they are pregnant. In this instance the MoD was unaware of her pregnancy." The woman and her child will soon be flown back home after a special paediatric team from John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford flies to Afghanistan for her complete check-up. It is a first incident when a soldier serving at the frontline has delivered a baby and experts say that it might raise questions on whether there should be proper medical tests conducted on women before they are sent to serve on frontlines. With Agency Inputs