The story was nothing short of shocking: An Afghan baby, the only surviving member of her immediate family following an American attack on their home, was brought to the United States for medical treatment only to be taken from the Afghan couple who raised her as their own and — against the couple’s wishes — placed in the custody of a U.S. Marine and his wife.
AP investigative correspondents Juliet Linderman and Martha Mendoza, and enterprise writer Claire Galofaro broke the extraordinary story of the little girl, now 3 1/2 years old, caught between two families: the Afghan couple that raised her after the rest of her family was killed, and the U.S. Marine attorney they accuse of abducting her. Such a story would have been remarkable under any circumstances, but it was made even more so by the speed with which the AP reporters turned it around — less than two weeks.
An Afghan couple accuses a U.S. Marine of abducting their baby girl. Unbelievable story by my colleagues from @AP investigative and enterprise teams: @JulietLinderman @clairegalofaro and @mendozamartha https://t.co/8lphuVlcM5
— nixonron (@nixonron) October 20, 2022
Linderman,Mendoza and Galofaro pored through hundreds of pages of legal filings and obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act. They drew on the expertise of Kathy Gannon,former AP news director in the region,talking to officials in the Afghan government at the time the baby girl was evacuated from her homeland. They pushed relentlessly and repeatedly for interviews with everyone,including the Afghan couple and the U.S. Marine,Maj. Joshua Mast. Their persistence paid off in the case of the Afghan couple,whose lawyer finally relented,impressed by how much the AP knew. They also persevered despite strong opposition from the judge who had sealed the case and a court clerk who refused to provide even the docket number.
Despite the many obstacles and the need for attribution throughout,the journalists wove their reporting into a beautifully written, compelling narrative that reads like an international thriller. The Afghan couple’s lawyer told AP that a major national news organization had known about this story for months, so the quick turnaround was critical. The AP trio worked around the clock and succeeded in getting their story out first.
Mary Rajkumar,deputy editor for international investigations,edited the piece. And with limited visuals available,Nat Castañeda,acting storytelling editor for global enterprise and investigations,worked closely with the reporting team and with photo editor Patick Sison,creating the striking illustration that led the presentation.
The team’s story earned a perfect score for reader engagement, was featured in Politico Playbook and trended on Twitter for two days.
Readers reacted with anger,many asking how they could hold the government agencies involved responsible,and AP learned that the FBI has launched an investigation into the case. Reaction has also come from the State Department,the U.S. Marines and the Taliban,prompting a follow-up story currently in the works.
For intensive,lightning-fast work to put AP first on this deeply reported,deeply moving story,Linderman, Mendoza and Galofaro earn AP’s Best of the Week— First Winner honors.
A baby was pulled from the rubble after U.S. troops attacked a remote compound in Afghanistan,killing a father,mother and their five children. The infant was injured, but “miraculously survived” and spent months in a military hospital. https://t.co/lI8n5vMU9c
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 20, 2022
The Marine says he is the child's legal parent because he was granted custody of her in a small-town Virginia court 7,000 miles from Afghanistan in sealed proceedings. The baby’s Afghan family was identified, but he continued trying to get her to the U.S. https://t.co/lI8n5w3Xbc
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 20, 2022
A U.S. Marine and his wife adopted an Afghan war orphan from 7,000 miles away in Virginia.
When the child’s family fled to the U.S. last year,they say the Marine abducted her, but he says he’s the child’s legal father. https://t.co/dlvGCnHTcq
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 21, 2022
The U.S. military raided an Afghan compound,killing a couple and five of their children. An infant survived. A U.S. Marine and his wife adopted her, but her Afghan relatives say they never consented to that and want her back. https://t.co/vhxrgniRPi
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 23, 2022
An Afghan father,mother and their five children were killed in a U.S. military raid in 2019. One surviving baby was pulled from the rubble. Her Afghan relatives,a young couple,raised her for 2 years. Meanwhile, a US Marine and his wife adopted her in a court in Virginia. 1/3
— julietlinderman (@JulietLinderman) October 20, 2022
1/3 An Afghan father,mother and their five children were killed in a U.S. military raid in 2019. One infant survived. Afghan relatives raised her for two years, not knowing that a US Marine attorney and his wife had adopted her from afar. https://t.co/dG0eWVc0yO pic.twitter.com/fLrUYUYkWc
— Martha Mendoza (@mendozamartha) October 20, 2022
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