New arms for Iraqi boy maimed by missile

By STEVE CONNOR in London

An Iraqi war orphan who lost both arms in a United States missile attack was seen yesterday by doctors in Britain who hope to give him a near-normal life with a set of artificial limbs.

Ali Abbas, whose story attracted international attention after he was filmed in a Baghdad hospital crying in pain, said he looked forward to having prosthetic arms and continuing his education in Britain.

Ali is being treated by specialists at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton, London, with 14-year-old Ahmed Hamza who lost his left foot and right hand in another American bombardment near Baghdad.

Robin Cooper, a clinical specialist in prosthetics at Queen Mary's, said if Ali worked hard there were few limits to what he could achieve with a set of prosthetic limbs.

"It very much depends on him. We can give him the tools, but the real work comes from him. We have had people who have had the same level of loss as him who fly light aircraft or drive cars," Cooper said.

Hamad al Shatti, the doctor who treated Ali in Iraq and is accompanying him in Britain, said the orphan, who lost both his parents and 13 members of his family in the air raid, is determined to be a "messenger of peace".

"He is looking forward to getting his prosthesis as soon as possible. His only wish really is to have his family next to him to support him in this process," Al Shatti said.

"Ali will be a messenger of peace with a mission. He will grow up to the challenge to send the message all over the world from the Iraqi people through his own experience."

A spokeswoman for the hospital said that after consultations and measurements Ali and Ahmed would be fitted with artificial limbs that closely matched their skin colour and body size to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Both would be fitted with the limbs in four to five weeks after further tests. "It takes a long time because each limb has to be hand made," she said. It will be a further four to six months before the boys will be able to use their limbs proficiently.

Dr Sellaiah Sooriakumaran, who will head a team of specialists treating the boys, added: "We have done the first initial assessments and we propose to fit in Ali's case artificial arms of very, very sophisticated quality, the best available in the world. We feel confident Ali will be able to achieve a fairly high level of independence."

Ahmed would also receive an artificial arm and leg, the doctor said. A treatment plan would be drawn up and the two youngsters would get training in how to fit their limbs. They would also be taught to use specialist technology including using voice-activated devices.

The Kuwaiti authorities have agreed to pay for the treatment, estimated to total £20,000 ($54,588) a limb.

- INDEPENDENT

Herald Feature: Iraq