Iraqi twin dies after separation surgery in Saudi Arabia

Iraqi twin dies after surgery in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — An Iraqi twin who was joined at the hip with her sister died Saturday, three weeks after separation surgery in Saudi Arabia, a Saudi surgeon said.

The conjoined twins, Zainab and Ruqqaya Naseer, were born June 5 in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. They had problems with their digestive and reproductive systems.

Saudi King Abdullah had the twins flown to Riyadh and paid for their surgery, which took place in mid-July.

Chief surgeon Abdullah al-Rabia said Ruqqaya had serious pre-existing health problems, including a deformed skull. He said the surviving twin was in stable condition.

Al-Rabia, from the King Abdul-Aziz Medical Center in Riyadh, has performed nearly 30 successful surgeries on conjoined twins from 16 countries. Those included another set of Iraqi conjoined twins who were separated after 20 hours of surgery in 2006.