Mustafa Abed, a boy from Fallujah, returned to Iraq today after a tearful goodbye at the Portland airport.
Mustafa's father, Ahmed, expressed his gratitude to the group No More Victims and the people of Portland for their help. Last month, Ahmed spoke at the Portland Winter Soldier event, along with local Iraq Veterans Against the War.
No More Victims is a group committed to showing people in the US the human cost of the ongoing occupation in Iraq. They bring children who were injured by US forces in Iraq to the US for medical treatment.
Cole Miller, a co-founder of the group, spoke on KBOO last year about No More Victims. Ned Rosch and Maxine Fookson heard the interview, and were inspired to start a branch in Portland. They worked tirelessly to raise money and support, and managed to bring Mustafa and his father to Portland on September 8th.
During their three months in Portland, Mustafa and his father Ahmed touched the lives of many people, from the Portland Trailblazers to Mayor Tom Potter, who honored him by declaring November 19th 'Mustafa Abed day'.
When asked what he would remember about his time in Portland, Mustafa talked about his friends Jack and Lucy.
Portland No More Victims will be holding a number of fundraisers to make up the difference in Mustafa's medical bill. The first will be held this Saturday. More information can be found at the website nomorevictims.org.