An Afghan toddler sent to the United States for surgery to repair a life-threatening heart condition died in his father's arms Friday after returning home.
Sixteen-month-old Qudratullah Wardak died in a refugee village outside Kabul, The Guardian reported. The child had been treated in Indianapolis for multiple heart defects.
The boy's death came as a surprise. Wednesday, he and his father were escorted by American troops back to their family tent in a muddy refugee camp next to an Afghan military barracks. Two days later he was dead.
When the defects were discovered in September the military arranged for the child to be treated in the United States. The Rotary Club helped to finance the $100,000 operation. Hundreds of people were involved in helping the displaced family.
The cause of the boy's death was not known, said Capt. Lisa Kopczynski, a National Guard spokeswoman in Indianapolis. "Unfortunately, the Afghan culture does not allow for autopsies, so they are unable to officially determine the cause of death," she said.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
