I served  as a communication officer from 2002 to 2005 then as a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Baghdad, Iraq. My work was focused on addressing the humanitarian situation in the country.

On October 27, 2003, the ICRC building got attacked by a booby trapped ambulance, causing the death of several staff members. I was lucky to survive the attack because I was standing a few meters away from the window behind my office desk. Below are some of the photos of the building and what was left of my office.

My work at the ICRC involved:

• Writing several investigative reports on the humanitarian situation in Iraq which entailed travelling to different parts of the country and interviewing victims of violence and vulnerable people. See below some of the Arabic reports I wrote and pictures I took which mostly appeared in the international ICRC magazine, Insani:

1. “Even Al-Shamaiah mental hospital was not safe from destruction”. (2003). Summer, 25, pp. 48-52.
2. “Unexploded remnants of war: A grave danger”. (2003). Autumn, 26, pp. 12-14. This investigative report was republished in Huriah newspaper, Amman, Jordan, 2004, January, 21, 2, p. 11, and published in Ethar magazine, Sanaa, Yemen, the Yemeni Red Crescent Society, 2004 January-February, 24, pp. 13-14.
3. “Homeless Iraqi children”. (2004). Summer, 28, pp. 36-38.
4. “Handicapped in Iraq: Looking forward to living normal lives”. (2004). Summer, 28, pp. 42-43.
5. Published a few investigative reports in English, too (see this link).

• Writing press releases, media replies, briefing notes, reports, articles, journalistic reporting, news…etc in Arabic and English (see for example these links: 1, 2, 3, & 4).

During my work for the ICRC, I was interviewed by hundreds of TV, radio, newspaper outlets belonging to international and local media. Below is a small sample, and a more complete list of interviews can be found in Pro-Quest, Nexis Uni, and Factiva news archives:

• “Wrong place, wrong time: Civilian victims of PTSD”. Registered Nurse. October, 2006.
• “Fallujah residents prepare to return”. Agence France Press. December 23, 2004.
• “U.S. troops sweep through Mosul day after deadly attack”. The Columbus Telegram. December 22, 2004. 
• “Red Cross Says Al-Fallujah’s Water-purification Plants Remain Unusable”. Radio Free Europe. December 22, 2004. 
• “Blast at US mess tent in Iraq kills 22”. China Daily. December 22, 2004.
• “Army tears up bill of soldier who lost arm”. The Seattle Times. December 11, 2004.
• “Red Cross gets first look at war-ravaged Fallujah”. The Associated Press. December 11, 2004. 
• “Fallujah: The homecoming and the homeless”. The Independent. December 11, 2004. 
• “US warns on Falluja disease risk”. BBC News. December 10, 2004.
• “IRCS delivered aid to Fallujah”. IRIN news. November 26, 2004.
• “Second Sunni Cleric Gunned Down”. CBS News. November 23, 2004.
• “U.N.: Iraq fighting ‘wreaking havoc’ on children”. NBC News. November 23, 2004. 
• “For Fallujah Family, a Daring Escape”. The Washington Post. November 19, 2004. 
• “Aid stalemate at the gates of Falluja”. BBC News. November 19, 2004.
• “Falluja ‘will get government aid‘”. BBC News. November 18, 2004.
• “Fighting sweeps Sunni Muslim heartland”. Mail & Guardian. November 14, 2004. 
• “Fallujah situation ‘disastrous’, charity says”. The Independent. November 13, 2004.
• “Red Cross visits Fallujah in first inspection since raids”. The Associated Press. October 12, 2004.
• “Iraqis who fled fighting want to go home”. UPI. August 20, 2004. 

From 2005 to 2006, I served as a consultant for ICRC in Amman, Jordan. The job included:

• Giving consultancy on media and public relation issues and evaluating the political and social events as well as the humanitarian environment.
• Setting, organizing, and following up seminars and workshops for Iraqi journalists and active non-governmental agencies.