Joyful Afghan boy who lost leg in gunfire as a baby dances on new prosthetic limb
Ahmad Rahman was just eight months old when he was injured after fighting broke out between Afghan government forces and the Taliban near his home.
Ahmad’s injuries, which the Red Cross says were caused by a bullet, were so bad he had to have his leg amputated soon afterwards, while his sister Salima was also hurt in the clash.
Now five, Ahmad had his fourth prosthetic leg fitted over the weekend as he quickly grows out of each one - and celebrated with some signature moves.
Despite living near war zones, “happy” and “positive” Ahmad is an “inspiration” to nurses and physiotherapists at a Red Cross clinic in Kabul.
Mulkara Rahimi, who has treated Ahmad since he was a baby at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) orthopaedic clinic in Kabul, spoke to ITV News from Afghanistan.
“Before he was so small so he was not able to dance, now he is able to dance or run,” she said.
“He is a happy boy, he is just like his doctor.”
Ms Rahimi says Ahmad, who lives with his family in Baraki Barak district in western Logar Province, just south of Kabul, does not go to school even though he is a “very smart boy”.
Their neighbourhood is “always dangerous”, she added, and often the scene of more fighting between Taliban and government forces.
But none of their difficulties stop young Ahmad, who is also a keen footballer, from trying to do “all things”.
Roya Musawi, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said: "I love it when he dances with such an emotion.
"He is a very happy boy, I have seen many patients in our orthopaedic centre but they don't have the high morale like Ahmad does."
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The ICRC says Ahmad always breaks out into a dance in front of nurses and physios when he has a new leg.
A total of 8,050 civilians were killed or injured in Afghanistan in 2018, 4,260 of whom due to explosives - up 36% from 2017, according to the ICRC.
Every year, close to 10,000 Afghans are registered with the ICRC for limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation help.
Of those, 10% have suffered war-related injuries.
The UN says killing and maiming of civilians in Afghanistan, mainly by IEDs, has reached “extreme levels”.