The story

Youssif is in his bright orange Spiderman shirt -- and he's speaking in English. "Look I can jump, it's very scary," he says.

He ponders the distance for a moment, then hesitantly takes two more steps down the jungle gym. Imitating his favorite superhero, Youssif quickly jumps through the air and lands on his hands and feet in a pool of sand.

"That's hard," the 5-year-old Iraqi says.

A year ago, Youssif barely spoke to his parents in Arabic, let alone in English; he had retreated into sullen isolation after being terribly burned when masked men doused him in gasoline and set him on fire in Baghdad in January 2007.

Youssif has been in California for 10 months, undergoing facial reconstruction surgery and receiving other treatment for his burns. Read full article »

All About Iraq War • War and Conflict • Los Angeles