UAE flies wounded Iraqis out of Erbil for medical treatment

Government humanitarian programme provides specialised treatment for civilians scarred by debilitating injuries.

ABU DHABI // For many Iraqi casualties of war, treatment abroad is their only chance at leading normal lives.

Years of conflict have taken a heavy toll on the country’s civilian population with thousands suffering from debilitating injuries from gun battles and bombings.

In an attempt to provide humanitarian relief to war-stricken areas of Iraq, the UAE Government on Thursday flew in civilians from Iraq to receive treatment in hospitals around the country.

Flying from Erbil onboard a charted Boeing 747 to Bateen executive airport, the injured included men, women and children.

Many had recently been injured in the continuing clashes with the ISIL, but some arrived for treatment of injuries sustained up to six years ago.

Khaled, 26, was wounded in 2008 when a woman Al Qaeda member detonated a bomb strapped under her clothes near a courthouse.

“He was in the courthouse when the bombing happened in Baquba,” said his brother, Ahmed Ismail.

“He lost part of his brain and he’s been receiving treatment since.”

In that same year, more than 20 female bombers carried out similar attacks, as Al Qaeda recruited them for their ability to pass security blockades unchecked.

Khaled and Ismail’s other brother was also hurt in the bombing, resulting in the loss of both of his eyes.

“You can’t even count how many people are in the same scenario as my brothers; amputees, paraplegics, people who in an instant have become paralysed. Every bomb takes 50 to 60 people and unfortunately this is our dark reality,” said Ahmed.

Despite receiving treatment in hospitals around Iraq, Khaled’s injury resulted in brain damage that left him unable to maintain motor skills, as well as cognitive difficulties.

“The infrastructure in Iraq doesn’t allow for proper treatment. Yes there are a lot of organisations that have contributed to building hospitals, but we need specialised treatment,” Ahmed said. “But treating his case is very expensive, besides, the treatment doesn’t really exist in Iraq.”

Those onboard the plane had injuries that included broken bones, malnutrition, brain damage and, in one case, paralysis.

Ahmed Fahad, 16, was standing by the door of his Fallujah home when he was hit by a bullet from a nearby skirmish between ISIL fighters and police.

“The bullet went through his rib cage and hit his spinal column,” said his father, Mohammed. “His head and his hands can move, the rest is paralysed.”

“I don’t remember being hit. All I remember is being by the door, hearing gunshots and then I woke up with the doctors talking to my father,” said the teenager.

Shortly after receiving preliminary treatment for his injury in a local hospital, Ahmed and his father were told by doctors that they were not equipped to treat the case and that he would have to be transferred.

“Good doctors in Iraq either leave or get killed,” said Mohammed. “We actually moved from Fallujah to Erbil but they couldn’t find a solution, so they suggested we come to the UAE for better treatment.”

Upon arriving in Abu Dhabi, the injured were taken from the plane and boarded ambulances to hospitals around the country to begin their treatment.