She wasn't there to 'help maimed children'.
She was there to hurt America and assist the terrorists.
This seems like your own inventive perspective of what she was doing. Do you really think that she took off for Iraq to aid "terrorists" and to hurt American soldiers? I think you're misinformed about the lengths to which sadists will go to satisfy themselves. There is plenty she could do to aid terrorists and harm American soldiers from the homeland.
Rather, the much more probable reason she was there was that she felt compelled to aid the "collateral damage" victims of our bombing campaigns. She could, I imagine, aid somewhat effectively in that respect. I'm not sure how effectively she could aid the "terrorist" cause in Iraq or harm Americans unless she was actively assisting the insurgency. Counting and comforting the maimed can hardly qualify.