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Three Years After U.S. Invasion Two Wounded Iraqi Children and Their Fathers Tell Their Stories

It has now been over three years since President Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. At the time he vowed to make every effort to spare innocent lives and that the U.S. forces would go to Iraq with respect for its citizens, its civilization and the country's religions.

But three years later Iraq is a devastated country. Tens of thousands - if not hundreds of thousands -- of Iraqis have been killed and the violence is only increasing. The actual death toll among Iraqis may never be known. In 2004, the British medical journal Lancet estimated 100,000 Iraqis had died since the war began.

Many of those killed have been children. Today, to mark the beginning of the fourth year of the Iraq war, we are going to hear about two Iraqi children who suffered near life-threatening injuries.

We speak with Ahmad Sharif and his father, Jabbar Sharif. Two and a half years ago Ahmad lost his eyesight and right arm after being caught in crossfire. He first came to the United States last year and received prosthetic eyes and an arm. He was brought to this country by Elissa Montanti, founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund. Ahmad and Jabbar They are translated by Hesham El-Meligy, an advisor to the Global Medical Relief Fund 

We also speak with Khalid Hamdan Abd who brought his three-year-old daughter Alaa to the United States for medical treatment. Last May a U.S. tank opened fire on their home in the town of Al Qaim near the Syrian border. Two of Khalid's sons died as did three of his cousins. The infant Alaa was seriously injured.

Thanks to the organization No More Victims, she recently had surgery in the United States to reconstruct her abdominal wall. She also underwent eye surgery to remove shrapnel and to reattach her retina. According to her surgeon she would have been blinded for life if she had not undergone the surgery. We also speak with Cole Miller a Hollywood screenwriter and founder of NoMoreVictims.org. They are also translated by Hesham El-Meligy, an advisor to the Global Medical Relief Fund.

AMY GOODMAN: We'll turn to Alaa and her father in a few minutes, but we begin with an interview I did on Friday with another Iraqi child seriously wounded in the war.

AMY GOODMAN: Today, we are joined by Ahmad Sharif -- he's eight years old -- and his father, Jabbar Sharif. Two-and-a-half years ago, Ahmad lost his eyesight and right arm after being caught in crossfire. He first came to the United States last year, received prosthetic eyes and an arm. He was brought to this country by the group, Global Medical Relief Fund. We are joined by the group's founder, Elissa Montanti, and the father and Ahmad will be translated by Hesham El-Meligy, who is an advisor to the Global Medical Relief Fund. And we welcome you all to Democracy Now!

HESHAM EL-MELIGY: Thank you, Amy.

ELISSA MONTANTI: Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: Elissa, tell us about this project, how you are helping people, and particularly, tell us about Ahmad.

ELISSA MONTANTI: Right. It was founded, Global, in 1997, when I started helping Bosnian children, and most recently, 2003, when I went into Iraq to go to the hospitals and visit, you know, the families of these children. I was just overwhelmed with the devastation. I immediately started to compile lists of children that needed help. And the Shriners Children Hospital provided the prosthetics for all the children I bring from these countries. So I started bringing one boy, which took a year later. Long story short, I have helped eight children in the past two years. And Ahmad's story is just a tragedy. They all are. But his case came to me actually through the military. And it was too late to save his eyes. And Columbia Presbyterian helped and through them we were able to get him prosthetics.

AMY GOODMAN: Hesham, can you describe what happened? And then, if you would translate for Jabbar and Ahmad.

HESHAM EL-MELIGY: Sure. As you said, two-and-a-half years ago Ahmad was coming back from his school, accompanied by another student, his friend, walking to home. They live in Sadr City in Baghdad. In front of their house, there was an exchange of weapons for amnesty: If you give up your weapon, we are not going to charge you with anything. American troops were there. Iraqi troops were there, the new government. And Iyad Allawi was visiting this location to oversee the exchange. So a group of people -- I don't know what, insurgents, terrorists, whatever you want to call them -- came and started firing, wanting to assassinate Iyad Allawi. So American troops responded to the fire indiscriminately, just shooting everywhere.

So, Ahmad started running to hide somewhere with his friend, and when the firefight stopped, he started running home, which was close. Unfortunately, all of a sudden, a big boom happened. It turned out to be a tank shell fired from an American tank, hit Ahmad directly in his right arm and blew it off to the extent that some of the bones of this arm were glued to the body of the other child. But Ahmad kind of screened him, so he was fine from that accident. Also, what happened is a grave wound to Ahmad's face, as you can see, this is much better now, and also led to his being blind, severe detachment to the retinas beyond repair.

AMY GOODMAN: Ahmad, do you remember what happened to you?

AHMAD SHARIF: [translated] He said, all I remember is the big bang, and I woke up in the hospital.

AMY GOODMAN: And Jabbar Sharif, where were you at the time?

JABBAR SHARIF: [translated] It was at that time in Ramadan, and we were preparing the breaking the fast meal. And it was about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. All of a sudden, we heard this big explosion. And the neighbors knocked on the door, saying that Ahmad got hit, and we’re taking him to the hospital.

AMY GOODMAN: So you got him to the hospital. How did you end up here in the United States?

JABBAR SHARIF: [translated] His older son, Asad, his late son, Asad, who died -- actually what happened is Sad is the one that came last year with Ahmad in last April --

AMY GOODMAN: How old is he?

HESHAM EL-MELIGY: He was 28. So they stayed here for like two months until Ahmad finished his prosthetics and other stuff. And he's the one who applied for medical help and assistance. So, he got introduced to Elissa through an Iraqi doctor also, who heard about her activities here with the Iraqi children. So what happened, when they returned back in, I think, in June and then they were preparing to come back here this December, the father was driving the car from Baghdad to Nasiriyah, where they were trying to move. A car accident happened, Asad died. And Ahmad actually lost his spleen in that accident also.

AMY GOODMAN: Ahmad, how are you getting around without your arm?

AHMAD SHARIF: [translated] Without a prosthetic arm or the regular arm, of course, I can’t do anything. But when he was fitted with the prosthetic arm, he was so happy, and he started clapping, actually.

AMY GOODMAN: How do you feel being in the United States?

AHMAD SHARIF: [translated] I am very grateful to Elissa and that she is helping me and giving me a prosthetic arm so I can, you know, search my way around.

AMY GOODMAN: What are the things that make you happy now, Ahmad?

AHMAD SHARIF: [translated] The most – the best time here that I do is staying with Elissa. He loves her; he is in love with Elissa. And she also is very caring of him. She is a magnificent woman.

AMY GOODMAN: And how long are you staying here in the United States, Jabbar Sharif?

JABBAR SHARIF: [translated] As long as it takes for the medication, which is about at least two months.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you have a message, Ahmad, that you would like to share with children in the United States, other kids your age?

AHMAD SHARIF: [translated] He, of course, he would like to meet some of them. But, unfortunately, he cannot see anything. I mean, he just loves to play. He is like a beacon of love.




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