Ms Hamdan said that based on data from January this year, the rate of congenital heart defects was 95 per 1,000 births – 13 times the rate found in Europe.
“I’ve seen footage of babies born with an eye in the middle of the forehead, the nose on the forehead,” she added.
A spokesman for the US military, Michael Kilpatrick, said it always took public health concerns “very seriously”.
“No studies to date have indicated environmental issues resulting in specific health issues,” he said.
“Unexploded ordinance, including improvised explosive devices, are a recognised hazard,” he added.
