The Iraq War Crimes: Samar

Who has not seen this picture, which has become a symbol of the horrors of the war on Iraq.
This is a picture of an Iraqi girl, Samar Hassan ,who was 6 years old , amid blood shed and is crying moments after the death of both of her parents at the hands of American soldiers six years ago in the beginning of 2005. Samar was with her family in their car, returning from the hospital after treating her sick brother, Rakan, and when the car approached a U.S. checkpoint the soldiers opened fire on them, her parents were killed and her brother was seriously injured.

Days after the accident , an American aid activist (Marla Ruzicka) saw the picture, searched for the girl and learned that her brother was in a critical condition, so she managed to send him to America for treatment. But weeks later, Marla was killed in a bombing near Baghdad .
After 3 years and after the return of Samar's brother from treatment in America, the region where Samar lived was attacked by armed militias, their house was badly damaged and her brother Rakan was killed in the attack .

The story does not end here, Samar today (12 years) left school a while ago, because of the psychological problems that she's suffering from , and she's depending on Tranquilizers to survive. She's living in the house of her married sisters , and  she did not see her famous picture untill during her interview with the New York Times in May 2011.
To read the full New York Times interview click here .