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.⁠ ⁠ A U.S. Marine and his wife decided to adopt the child, but the Afghan government was searching for her biological family and U.S. diplomats were insistent on reuniting her with relatives. It’s unclear how the Marine became aware of her plight.⁠ ⁠ The American concept of adoption doesn’t exist in Afghanistan. Under Islamic law, heritage is sacred and can’t be severed. They use a guardianship system that allows Muslims to take in orphans without relinquishing the child’s name or bloodline. 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.⁠ ⁠ Over the next year, the Marine contacted and became friendly with the Afghan family. When the Taliban seized power, he helped them flee to the U.S. But once on American soil, the Afghans say the Marine took the baby away, claiming she was his lawful daughter.⁠ ⁠ That was more than a year ago. They haven’t seen her since. They are fighting in court to get her back.⁠ ⁠ “After they took her, our tears never stop,” the family said.⁠ ⁠ Read the full investigation at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ AP Illustration by Nat Castaneda, #APPhoto by Bernat Armangue