Iraqi Veterinarian Arranged By Coalition Forces
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Air Assault division got a chance to give a different kind of community assist recently. They joined with their Iraqi Army counterparts to arrange for a local Iraqi Veterinarian to travel to the house of a local Sheik to treat animals.
Mohel Abjella Mohammed traveled to Yusufiyah on February 5th to give vaccinations to more than one hundred twenty sheep and cows with the assistance of Coalition Troops. Ms. Mohammed is a young local female Vet, and she vaccinated the animals for Blackleg disease, also known as Clostridium Chauvoei. This is an infection of a bacterial nature that is common in sheep and cows in the Iraqi region.
The veterinarian studied and completed her Veterinarian studies in Baghdad at the University in the year 1988, and has been practicing her medicine with animals in the twenty years since that time. Mohammed was excited and pleased to be able to travel to Yusufiyah with the soldiers to treat animals in her own country and to give assistance. She is hopeful that more trips such as this can be arranged.
Local Sheik Khudaur, whose house the vet visit was conducted at spoke at great length with Ms. Mohammed about the overall health of the animals that belong to his Tribe. He was very pleased to be given the report that as a rule they were in very good health.
“We are learning, trying to help the tribe. The attempt here is to make our missions ones that the entire tribe benefit from, this Veterinary visit is one such effort to assist the Abu Alush Tribe here,” said 1st Lieutenant Casey Zimmerman. Lieutenant Zimmerman is the platoon leader for 3rd Platoon.
“The Abu Alush is a tribe that is mostly dependant on farming and agriculture, so this veterinary visit is going to help them a great deal,” said Lieutenant Zimmerman.
