Rakan Hassan in 2006The Boston Globe had been following the story of Rakan Hassan, 14, who was paralyzed after being shot by a U.S. Army patrol in Iraq in 2005. His parents were killed by the gunfire. The Globe did a photo essay and series on Hassan, who went to Boston for treatment in 2006, but sadly reported August 3 that the boy has died back in Iraq.
The "Rakan's War" series ran in four parts and contained more than 20 photos: "This is a story about a boy, and a war. About hatred and healing, pain and longing. About redemption, or the dream of it. About going home, even when home is just about the most dangerous place on earth. But mostly it's about a boy. His name is Rakan. He is 12 years old. He got shot in Iraq. And for five months, a medical team in Boston tried to put him back together again."
The intro to the photo essay was changed August 3: "In January 2005, Rakan Hassan, 12, was shot and paralyzed, and his parents were killed when their car was riddled with gunfire by a US Army patrol in Iraq. Rakan was brought to Boston through the efforts of humanitarians determined that he receive medical care. Now, with the news that Rakan was killed by a bomb planted at his home in Mosul, Rakan's time in Boston seems more precious, more fleeting, more tragic for what could have been."
In a story called "The end of Rakan's war," The Globe reports August 3 that Hassan was killed in June when a bomb exploded at the 14-year-old's home in Mosul.