One Monday nearly a year ago, a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif was sitting outside his modest Baghdad home eating chips and playing when masked assailants doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. Their motive remains a mystery, but their violence left the boy's face horribly disfigured.
Youssif squats at the edge of the lake at Balboa Park near Los Angeles, tentatively holding out bread for the ducks, his large dark eyes widening in delight and fear as it's snatched from his hands.
Five-year-old Youssif underwent his most important surgery Thursday as his doctor removed the most extensive scar tissue on his face -- putting him on the path of being a normal boy again.
Few stories have touched CNN.com users like that of 5-year-old Youssif, an Iraqi boy who had gone out to play on a January day when he was suddenly grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire.
Youssif, the 5-year-old Iraqi boy who was savagely burned by masked men, arrived in the United States late Tuesday with his family -- the first step toward his lengthy rehabilitation.
One Monday nearly a year ago, a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif was sitting outside his modest Baghdad home eating chips and playing when masked assailants doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. Their motive remains a mystery, but their violence left the boy's face horribly disfigured.
Youssif squats at the edge of the lake at Balboa Park near Los Angeles, tentatively holding out bread for the ducks, his large dark eyes widening in delight and fear as it's snatched from his hands.
Five-year-old Youssif underwent his most important surgery Thursday as his doctor removed the most extensive scar tissue on his face -- putting him on the path of being a normal boy again.
Few stories have touched CNN.com users like that of 5-year-old Youssif, an Iraqi boy who had gone out to play on a January day when he was suddenly grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire.
Youssif, the 5-year-old Iraqi boy who was savagely burned by masked men, arrived in the United States late Tuesday with his family -- the first step toward his lengthy rehabilitation.
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