Soldiers Find Abandoned Baby in Afghanistan, Name Her Pola
A group of soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan discovered a baby wrapped in a towel and left abandoned near a military base, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman. The two-day-old child was named Pola by the unit of Polish soldiers who found her.
The unit of Polish soldiers were reportedly doing a safety check of a route near the Waghez military base when the baby was discovered on a side road, according to The Associated Press, which cited Defense Ministry spokesman Janusz Walczak in its report.
The troops, who were reportedly patrolling the area for improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were at first cautious when they discovered Baby Pola wrapped in a towel.
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Once they realized that the child had been abandoned, she was taken to a medical facility at Waghez base. The AP reports that the Polish troops bought Baby Pola formula, a bottle and a bib. The child was eventually taken to a hospital in Ghanzi and is said to be doing well, according to the UK Sun, which published several photos of the baby. The publication also noted that "pola" means "fields" in Polish.
According to the AP, officials do not know who might have left Baby Pola at the roadside, as no one was found within a mile radius of where she was abandoned.
Although the initial report of the child's discovery was made last week, reports online Monday still struck a chord with readers.
Ken Shepherd of Newsbusters re-tweeted ABC News' link to the story, writing, "Awwww. Pray for baby Pola."
Jane Samuels tweeted, "I try to imagine if the mother knew soldiers would find her abandoned newborn baby on the side of the road."
Baby Pola's case comes just days after an active British soldier unexpectedly gave birth at a military base in Afghanistan.
The soldier, stationed at the same base as Prince Harry, gave birth to a boy on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The servicewoman, identified as 28-year-old Lynette Pearce, reportedly is the first British officer to give birth at a field hospital in a combat zone.
