Omar was traveling with his family by taxi from Mosul to Baghdad to celebrate Ramadan. An American convoy opened fire on the vehicle, hitting Omar’s father with three bullets — two in the back, and one in the arm. The driver and two others were killed in the hail of bullets. The car burst into flames, and Omar was severely burned. NMV brought Omar to the US for medical care in 2007.
Omar’s medical treatment continues at Children’s Hospital in Boston. The explosive injury Omar sustained after US forces opened fire on a passenger vehicle near Samarra caused severe burn injuries of the scalp, the right side of his face and his right ear. He lost the thumb and index finger on his right hand, which is also severely burned. The other burned areas include the right forearm and a severe palmar burn on the left hand that essentially fixed his left thumb to his palm. These injuries left Omar severely disfigured and with minimal, crude use of his hands and arms.
Surgeons released his fixed thumb, and Omar has recovered his use of that thumb. Doctors replaced his missing thumb with one of this toes. One of Omar’s ears had been burned off, and doctors inserted a prosthetic replacement. His burn injuries are severe and will require continuous treatment as he grows up.
