Marine and wife accused of kidnapping Afghan baby girl after US left Afghanistan
An unprecedented legal battle is taking place these days in the USA between the biological relatives of an orphaned Afghan baby girl, and between a Marine soldier and his wife who abducted her illegally to the USA
An Afghan couple is suing a Marine and his wife for allegedly kidnapping an orphaned baby girl by reportedly tricking them into coming to the US to take care of the girl’s medical needs.
The girl, who was two months old at the time, lost her biological parents and five siblings in a US military operation on September 6, 2019. US forces discovered her in the rubble and transferred her to a US military hospital for treatment, according to the lawsuit .
The girl’s first cousin and his wife, listed in the lawsuit as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe”, are the ones who inherited legal custody of her after her parents’ death – but following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, it was stated to the couple that the lawyer of the US Marine, Joshua Mast, and his wife, Stephanie, will provide the baby with adequate medical needs for the girl.
In the meantime, unbeknownst to the Afghan couple, the Marine soldier and his wife used Joshua’s status to obtain a custody and adoption order for the girl while she was recovering from her injuries in the hospital – since then they refuse to return her to her biological family.
“Joshua and Stephanie Mast’s primary and undisclosed intent was to get John and Jane Doe to bring Baby Doe to the United States to enable them (one way or another) to acquire physical custody of Baby Doe based on forged custody and adoption orders,” It was written in the lawsuit
According to reports, the babies’ relatives begged for the girl to be returned to them at some point.
When in a heartbreaking moment the woman collapsed to the floor and the man pleaded with Joshua Mast, the AP news agency reported.
According to the lawsuit, the Marine allegedly pushed the man to the ground and stepped on his foot.
“Since they took her, our tears don’t stop,” said “Jane Doe”.
“Right now we are just dead bodies. Our hearts are broken. We have no plans for the future without her. Food has no taste, and sleep does not give us rest.”
According to reports, the girl’s uncle has submitted a request to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for American assistance in returning the girl and officials in Afghanistan and the US are working to return her to her guardians.
“These defendants caused irreparable damage to an innocent toddler and to plaintiffs John and Jane Doe,” the lawsuit claims.
“As her real family and legal guardians, they raised Baby Doe for 18 months before the abduction and love her as their own child… The defendants must be held accountable for their unconscionable actions.”
Despite the prosecution’s statements, the Masts claimed that they “acted admirably” to protect the girl and are adamant that they are her legal guardians. Therefore, the American couple submitted a request to a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit
According to US law, a child cannot be adopted from Afghanistan unless guardianship or legal custody of the child has been obtained.
As of now, the girl’s fate is being discussed in the courts when the American couple who kidnapped the girl came to the court with more than a dozen lawyers.
A Marine is a person on active duty who was recently promoted to the rank of Major
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