Whatever happened to Niaz Mohammed Hussaini?

On May 24th of this year, Niaz Mohammed Hussaini*, an interpreter working for the CF and the son of an Afghan police official, was gravely wounded and lost both his legs as the result of a Taliban attack. The Black Rod brought his plight to the attention of Rosie DiManno, who then agitated about it in inimitable Rosie style:

Despite repeated calls by the Star to Canadian Forces authorities in Ottawa, no information has been forthcoming about what this country intends to do for Mohammed Niaz, not even if Canada is legally — or morally — bound to do anything. If a policy exists on casualty coverage and compensation for Afghan nationals in the direct service of our military in Afghanistan, bureaucrats at the Department of National Defence seem unable to put their hands on it.
...
It is incumbent on Canada to look after Mohammed Niaz and his family —medically, financially, morally. Commanders on the ground will provide a wheelchair when the patient is released — and arrange for his home to be made wheelchair-accessible — while doctors determine if he can be fitted for prosthetics.

But that can't be done there.

This is a made-in-Afghanistan tragedy. Yet it can only be fixed — insofar as fixing is possible — here.

Mohammed Niaz matters. We owe him.

Small Dead Animals subsequently followed up with this update:

Thank you for your e-mail concerning compensation for Mr. Mohammed Niaz.

I am informed that Mr. Niaz's case is being investigated, and it is our intent that neither he nor his family endure any undue hardship. Please be assured that we will take the appropriate action, not only in the case of Mr. Niaz, but also for any local nationals employed by the Canadian Forces.

Mr. Niaz is receiving excellent medical care at the Canadian-led, multinational hospital in Kandahar. He also continues to receive his salary while he is recovering.

The contribution made by local nationals such as Mr. Niaz is greatly appreciated. We would not be able to do our jobs in some of the most dangerous areas of the world without their willingness to support our effort.

I trust this information is of assistance and thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Gordon J. O'Connor, PC, MP
Minister of National Defence

At the time, I made the following comment:

...if you're interested in this story, then you need to keep following it until Mr. Niaz is in a position to carry on with his life. One letter from a staffer to the MND doesn't qualify as a resolution to his issues. Follow through.

Well, it seems Mr. Hussaini is quite literally on his feet again - prosthetic ones, at least - as evidenced by this picture of him standing to receive a commendation from the hand of LGen Gauthier, Commander of CEFCOM.



Since the fateful day Mr. Hossaini had his legs taken from him by a Taliban RPG, Canadians have been diligently but quietly working to help this man. After his medical treatment and recovery at the Coalition medical facility at KAF, the Canadian mission commanders struggled with how best to come to his aid. A cash payment would have simply made him a target in Kandahar, so instead, they decided to make some changes to both his home and his workplace at Camp Nathan Smith, and bring him back to work full-time as an interpreter and translator at the camp.

This entailed buying him a wheelchair, pouring concrete sidewalks and ramps around the camp, and making sure he can properly access the medical station, the kitchen, the washroom, and his office without trouble.

Some might say we owe Mr. Hussaini more than that, and they're certainly entitled to that opinion. The truth is that the CF has not had to deal with this situation before, and is currently reviewing options and developing standards that could be applied to compensate foreign employees such as Mr. Hussaini who are injured in the service of the CF. In the meantime, the fellow has received medical care and full-time employment, which is a lot more than many Afghans can say. For now, it will have to be enough.

* There seems to be some confusion surrounding this interpreter's name, with some referring to him as Mohammed Niaz, and others as Niaz Mohammed Hussaini. I've chosen to use the name on his citation, but have quoted others using a different version. My usage could well be incorrect.