24 Iraqi Boys Rescued from Orphanage

Courtesy Photo | Iraqi army, U.S. Forces, and civic leaders of the Fajr Neighborhood Advisory Council discuss a plan to ensure the boys are cared for as Soldiers carry the children to the ambulances. (U.S. Army Photo by Navy Lt. James Cook, 492nd Civil Affairs)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

06.20.2007

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

2nd BCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs

BAGHDAD—U.S. and Iraqi army forces found 24 naked and abused boys, ages 3 to 15 years old, in a darkened room without any windows. Many of the children were tied to their beds and were too weak to stand once released.

Nearby in a locked room, the Soldiers discovered a room full of food and clothing that could have been used to aid the children. Three women, claiming to be the caretakers, and two men, the orphanage director and a guard, were on site when the Soldiers arrived.

Members of the Fajr Neighborhood Advisory Council were notified by the Iraqi army soldiers and escorted to the orphanage to assist the boys. Paratroopers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and a 492nd Civil Affairs Team also arrived at the orphanage with medics to treat the malnourished boys.

"The council members were crying at the site of the starving boys," stated Navy Lt. James Cook, a 492nd Civil Affairs Officer.

The NAC arranged for three ambulances to take the boys to the Iskan Hospital for care.

In May, the boys were removed from the co-ed orphanage located in Atafiyah because it was believed the boys and girls should not live together, according to accounts from workers at the orphanage.

The council members made arrangements for the children to temporarily stay at the orphanage in Atafiyah, hiring 10 additional workers to care for the boys. The Neighborhood Advisory Council vowed to take action and ensure the boys were properly cared for by the workers.

"We're very grateful that this story unfolded the way that it did, that none of these 24 boys lost their lives. This is a story of partnership, courageous action and compassion overcoming deplorable negligence," said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, Multi-National Division –Baghdad deputy commanding general.

"The role of the Iraqi soldiers and the community council was a key to this action being taken to save these young boys," Brooks said. "We're very fortunate to have the kind of soldiers we have who are willing to take action, even at personal risk to save the lives of others. These soldiers in a literal and figurative sense are the best chance for Iraq, just as they were for these boys."

• Date Taken: 06.20.2007
• Date Posted: 06.20.2007 14:34
• Story ID: 10913
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ