The baby seen in a viral video being lifted over a barbed wire wall in Kabul, Afghanistan, by a Marine has been relocated to Arizona with her family, reports say.
The father of 8-week-old Liya, identified only as Hameed for security reasons, told AZFamily that he gave his daughter to the Marine, a “total stranger” he trusted because “he was a Marine and … [therefore] my daughter would be safe.”
“What was heartbreaking is I was inside and had somebody to pull my daughter over the wire. There were thousands of others who didn’t have that opportunity,” he added.
ARIZONANS FAVOR RELOCATION OF AFGHAN REFUGEES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY TO ARIZONA
The father was warned by the Marines that his daughter could get hurt being lifted over the wall, but he chose to “take the chance” anyway because he’d “rather her get hurt than die.”
Hameed, who spent four years working with the United States as a linguist and helped the military with the evacuations, knew his family would be targeted due to his background. So, he and his wife, Sadia, attempted to flee with Liya in mid-August. After Liya was lifted over the wall, Hameed was separated from Sadia, who passed through a small opening in the gate at the airport, but all three were placed on a plane with other evacuees. The family is now staying with friends in the Phoenix area, the report added.
Hameed said he hopes to meet the Marine who saved his daughter’s life someday, though the officer’s identity has been called into question. Recently, a Marine claiming to be the man who saved Liya spoke at a Trump rally in Georgia, but a press officer for the Marines told the Washington Examiner that the speaker was not the Marine from the video.
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Phoenix, where Hameed said he and his family are relieved to be living in, has become a prime location for displaced Afghans, with federal officials identifying Arizona’s capital as among the best options according to a list including criteria of “reasonable cost of living, housing availability, employment opportunities, and strong resettlement services and support.” Arizonans, who favor relocation of refugees, are nevertheless wary about the Afghans’ placement in Arizona, a recent poll showed.
