Afghan child with terminal illness passes away in US federal custody: Report

Hundreds of people are gathered at the NY Public Library on 5th Avenue as “Free Afghanistan” rally to protest Taliban in New York City, United States on August 28, 2021. [Tayfun Coşkun – Anadolu Agency]

An Afghan boy who was brought to the US after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 passed away while in the custody of the federal government, according to a report Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Citing anonymous US officials, CBS News reported that the child, 6, had a terminal illness and died on 13 June.

The report said the boy was one of the hundreds of Afghan children who arrived without their parents following their evacuation from Afghanistan.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed the child’s passing in a statement to the American network on Thursday, attributing it to “severe encephalopathy,” a medical condition relating to brain disease or disorder.

The boy’s death represents the third instance of an unaccompanied child’s death in HHS custody this year, CBS News reported.

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