After working with troops, Iraqi seeks U.S. life

updated 9:30 p.m. ET Oct. 5, 2007

IRBIL, Iraq - American soldiers gave him the nickname “Allen.” Once, a wounded Humvee gunner fell onto his lap. Another time, interpreter Ammar Abdul Rasool Abaas gave testimony that helped convict a U.S. sergeant of killing a bound detainee.

For more than two years, Abaas worked alongside U.S. troops. His decision to take the job had nothing to do with pro-American sentiments. He said he needed the money to support his family.

But insurgents branded him a collaborator who should die.

Now Abaas — who quit his post and fled the main war zone because of the threats — wants to restart his life in the United States. So far, he’s made it only as far as Iraq’s northern Kurdish region with a thicket of bureaucracy and uncertainties still ahead.

Abaas’ limbo represents the tale of thousands of other Iraqi helpers for Western military forces and groups who seek to leave their war-battered homeland.

The quandary over how wide to open the door has left lawmakers in the West struggling with competing agendas: a sense of moral obligation to the Iraqi aides but worries about a flood of newcomers. The United States — with by far the largest foreign presence in Iraq — has come under the most direct criticism from rights groups for keeping a tight lid.

Washington originally planned to resettle 7,000 Iraqis this year. It has since been reduced to 2,000 — with processing time of eight to 10 months.

In May, the House of Representatives proposed a four-year plan to accept up to 60,000 Iraqis who worked for at least a year with U.S.- or U.N.-affiliated groups.

“I have offered everything,” said Abaas, a 39-year-old Shiite Muslim who fled with his family to Irbil, the capital of the relatively calm Kurdish zone, where he fixes cars for a living.

Syria now requires visas
Abaas has applied for Iraqi passports for his family of five, including 2-year-old twin boys. Then he plans to travel to Syria to apply with the U.N. refugee agency, which refers cases to U.S. officials.

But Syria — struggling with more than 1.5 million Iraqi refugees — now demands visas for Iraqis in a move that could severely complicate one of the first steps to securing passage to the West.

Abaas could remain in Iraq and try to push his case with U.S. officials. But the threats make any trip outside the Kurdish area too much of a risk, he believes.

Soon after Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, Abaas got a job as a vehicle mechanic with an American contractor in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Two men visited Abaas’ wife, Samah.

“He’s a good guy,” they told her, according to Abaas. “But we took his photo when he was going to work. Tell him to quit. We’ll give him five days. If he doesn’t quit, we’ll kill him.”

Helped U.S. because he needed money
Abaas left the job, but running his own garage became impossible as security deteriorated. Months later, he got a job as an interpreter at Camp Anaconda, a U.S. base near Balad, north of Baghdad.

He was issued a helmet, a flak vest and uniform. Later, he was allowed to carry a weapon on some missions. One of his early combat experiences was a 10-day stint in the deadly alleys of Samarra, where the Sunni-dominated insurgency was active.

MORE FROM CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Conflict in Iraq Section Front

Bush effigy burned at Iraq protest U.S. shifts its approach in Iraq U.S.: Raid kills militant blamed in GI death Remains of Saddam victims flown home Al-Maliki: Security pact leads to sovereignty Mullen: Obama military demands can be met Conflict in Iraq Section Front   Add Conflict in Iraq headlines to your news reader: