Farah was born and raised in Babylon, Iraq. In 2003, she began supporting U.S. forces by establishing an engineering firm. Her company constructed helipads, security barriers, and roads, and supplied security equipment to U.S. bases throughout Iraq.

As a result of her efforts, Farah and her family were placed in grave danger, targeted by local militias who condemned her support of the U.S. mission in Iraq. The threats Farah faced were real. In 2006, a group of masked men invaded her home. They assaulted her, kidnapped her father, and murdered her husband.

In spite of these devastating losses, Farah was resolute in the face of tragedy. She continued her work and even began serving as a linguist for senior members of the government and U.S. military. But the risks she and her family confronted every day eventually led Farah to seek safety and freedom outside of Iraq. Farah applied for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to come to the United States, but waited for four years with no response. Finally, in 2012, Farah contacted IRAP for assistance after a friend told her about IRAP’s work. Just a few months after our attorneys took action on her case, Farah and her two children were awarded sanctuary in America.

In America, Farah fell in love and remarried. She now resides with her children and her husband, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, in the Washington, D.C. area.