Afghan woman gives birth on US military flight

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 on 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."

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.