Suspected roadside bomb turns out to be bundle of joy in Afghanistan

Published September 26th, 2012 - 12:36 GMT
Baby Aria, the newborn mistaken for a roadside bomb
Baby Aria, the newborn mistaken for a roadside bomb

A suspicious package left on the side of a road in Afghanistan turned out to be a newborn baby and not a bomb, a Polish anti-bomb squad said.

The unit, part of the NATO-led International Security Force, was dispatched to a road in the northeastern province of Kunar to dismantle a possible Taliban-made bomb, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Tuesday.

"We took all necessary precautions when nearing the package," said a spokesman for the Polish force. "When we got close enough, we realized it was moving."

After lifting a cardboard covering, the soldiers found an infant no more than 2-days-old wrapped in a towel.

Medical staff at the Polish military base named the infant Pola and sent a soldier to a local pharmacy to purchase some formula for her.

The infant will be turned over to Afghan authorities, a spokesman said.

 

Were the Polish team paranoid? How could they mistake a baby for a bomb? Tell us what you think below.

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