Orphan Ali ready to come to UK

An Iraqi boy who was orphaned and lost his arms in a US bombing raid early in the Iraq war has thanked Kuwait's prime minister for his health care and expressed hopes for his future ahead of a trip to England, where he will be fitted with artificial limbs and meet some of his extended family.

"I want to be able to drive a car, God willing," Ali Abbas said shyly after meeting with Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah to thank him for his treatment and that of other injured Iraqis at the Kuwaiti government's expense.

Ali, 13, and Ahmed Mohammed Hamza, 14, will travel to London soon to be fitted for prosthetic limbs at the Roehampton Rehabilitation Centre.

Hamza lost his left foot below the knee and his right hand in a US bombardment.

Ali's story drew international attention after pictures of him crying in pain at a Baghdad hospital were beamed to television screens across the world.

He was evacuated to Kuwait in mid-April and treated for severe burns caused when a missile struck his house near Baghdad, killing his father, pregnant mother, his brother and 13 other family members.

"Now don't use your (new) arms to hit others," the prime minister jokingly told Ali, who was dressed for the occasion in a white shirt and red tie.

Kuwait's government will pay to rebuild the damaged homes of the two boys.

Ahmed al-Shatti, a Health Ministry spokesman, said a number of countries had offered to treat the injured children.

The decision to send them to England was based on "quality, continuity and commitment", as the boys will need follow-up treatment as they grow, he said.

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