Ali and Ahmed enter rehabilitation centre

AN Iraqi boy who lost both arms in the Gulf War had his first appointment at the hospital rehabilitation centre where he is expected to be fitted with state-of-the-art prosthetic arms worth around £20,000.

Ali Abbas, aged 13, won the sympathy of millions around the world after being injured in an American bombing raid early in the war, which also killed both his parents.

Ali and Ahmed Mohammed Hamza, aged 14, who lost his left leg below the knee and his right hand in a US bombardment, attended their first appointments at the rehabilitation centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton, South London.

They were being seen and assessed by Dr Sellaiah Sooriakumaran and his team of therapists and prosthetists, who then briefed the press on the care the boys can be given.

One of the specialists set to treat Ali, who became a symbol of the suffering of ordinary Iraqis, has said he should be able to lead a virtually normal life with artificial limbs. Robin Cooper, a clinical specialist in prosthetics, said there was little limit to what Ali could achieve with his new arms. “It very much depends on him. We can give him the tools, but the real work comes from him.

“We would expect him to be able to accomplish the tasks he is determined to do. We have had people who have had the same level of loss as him who fly light aircraft or drive cars.”

Staff at Roehampton will keep in touch with his doctors in Iraq for his ongoing care, he said.

British shadow international development secretary Caroline Spelman said she was delighted Ali Abbas and Ahmed Mohammed Hamza are in Britain for treatment. “It is a real honour for our country to have been chosen by the Kuwaiti authorities and the families involved.”

However, she warned of becoming complacent about other victims of the recent war in Iraq.

“Whilst the spotlight is currently on Ali, we shouldn’t forget the Iraqi people with similar injuries, but without access to the same world class treatment that Ali is about to receive.”

Mrs Spelman said the Government had failed to commit to the reconstruction of Iraq, despite her requests that money was used to establish a treatment and rehabilitation unit.