Twelve women soldiers ordered home from Afghanistan after finding out they are pregnant



Twelve British servicewomen on operations in Afghanistan have been sent home this year after becoming pregnant.

They were evacuated under military rules that ban mothers-to-be from serving in a war zone.

The women were flown back to the UK between January and August this year. It takes the total number of female troops removed from Afghanistan due to pregnancy since 2003 to 64, according to official figures.

There has been a rise in the number of women finding out they are pregnant while at war

The women all discovered they were pregnant on the front line. It is not known how many of the babies were conceived in Afghanistan and how many in the UK. The Armed Forces do not have a set-in-stone ‘no-touching’ rule for troops in the war zone.

But all 700 women and 8,500 men serving there are warned that the Ministry of Defence does not approve of sexual relations between troops and that any inappropriate behaviour would breach standards guidelines.

Those caught having sex usually face a rebuke from their commanding officer or more serious disciplinary action, depending on the rank and position of those involved.

An Army source said: ‘Life at base comes with both boredom and fear. And emotions are heightened because anyone could get hurt tomorrow. The ratio is many men to a single girl. It’s little surprise there are hook-ups.’

An MOD insider said: ‘People can be at war for a long time so they have sex with their partner before they go and then they don’t know they’re pregnant until they get out there.’

Servicemen and women get three weeks off before they deploy to Afghanistan and two weeks rest and recuperation during their tour of duty, which can be as long as six months.

Having significant numbers of women serving alongside men is a recent phenomenon. Around 10 per cent of members of the forces are women.

In February, the Daily Mail told how Private Kayla Donnelly, then 21, served on the front line in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province while seven months pregnant. She had conceived before going to the war zone.

Pte Donnelly, from Penrith, Cumbria, who serves with 12 Logistic Support Regiment, put the changes to her body and weight gain down to high-calorie army rations and the stress of war. She only realised she was expecting two weeks after she returned home and gave birth to son Josh.

At least 102 British servicewomen posted to Iraq were sent home after it was found they were pregnant.