The United Arab Emirates (UAE) mourned. September 5 was the blackest day of its national history when 45 Emirati soldiers lost their lives in Yemen, they were killed during an accidental blast at an ammunition store of the 107th Brigade in the Eastern Yemeni oil province of Marib. This is the highest number of UAE soldiers killed in any military encounter. So far the UAE has lost 53 soldiers in the war in Yemen.
UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that the most recent mass casualties have not deterred its resolve to restore peace and fight on in Yemen. These sacrifices have increased its determination to achieve victory.
Those who died offered their lives for the freedom of their Yemeni brothers and sisters from Houthis. These martyrs wrote a new chapter in UAE nation’s glory as they bravely defended the dignity and fought to restore hope to their brothers in Yemen. They are the torch that leads to victory and the blood of the martyrs will further cement resolve to pursue the course of victory.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited a number of the Armed Forces servicemen at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi. He praised their steadfastness, heroism and dedication while defending the right and supporting their brethren in Yemen.
UAE mourned its martyrs with pride and dignity as this was indeed a great national loss. This was a time of deep sadness, grief and national pride, from top to bottom, expatriates and all factions of society joined in to pay high tributes to their sacrifices. They showed highest level of solidarity with the family of fallen soldiers.
UAE’s hospitals are now full of volunteers eager to give blood donations. The grief of the demised soldiers has further strengthened the resolve of its people for achieving greater peace and harmony in Yemen and in the region alike. Its shared grief has welded Emiratis together as never before.
UAE’s resolve towards peace is unshakeable and its many global peace keeping missions have already won the hearts and souls of millions of struggling people around the world. Its forces led humanitarian programs successfully diminished the cures of poverty, disease, hunger and above all hopelessness.
UAE’s military campaigns for restoring peace and greater harmony in the region during the Gulf War 1991, air strikes against ISIL, Libya, Syria and now Yemen all speak of its ”human face” and “good intentions”. The ongoing Fundraising scheme “We Care Yemen” is the prime example of its genuine concerns towards weaker factions of the society and the common people. UAE joined coalition forces against rebels, infiltrators, conspirators and enemies to protect sovereignty and ensured the return of the legitimate democratically elected government. Donation to the campaign which is being organised by Emirates Red Crescent, reflects the bank’s commitment to support the UAE’s humanitarian initiatives. The UAE has always been a pioneer in heading humanitarian efforts. The Yemen: We Care campaign has raised more than Dh502 million since August 30.
Qatar confirmed it had dispatched 1,000 troops for Yemen, more Arab countries have lined up to send ground forces ready to fight as part of the Arab coalition against the Houthi rebels. Egyptian and Sudanese ground troops will be arriving soon in Yemen to participate in Operation Restoring Hope led by Saudi Arabia. It said the Sudanese contingent will include 6,000 troops.
The Arab coalition is preparing for the final battle against Houthi militants and their supporters in Marib and Al Jawf. Kuwait will also be sending ground troops to Yemen, in addition to its ongoing participation in air strikes.
The UAE is grieving but it is not the sign of weakness. The martyrdom of its fallen soldiers will not be allowed to be for nothing. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. Its sadness will be replaced by anger and with it a firm determination to prevail over the armed thugs threatening to take Yemen into the dark ages.
The UAE has received condolences from across the country the Arab World and the West following the deaths 45 of its soldiers in Yemen. Twenty two troops were killed when a Houthi missile struck an ammunition depot where the soldiers were station. A further 23 died later from their injuries.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC) offered his condolence to fallen Emiratis families and termed them honorable courageous martyrs.
These servicemen, alongside their brothers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, were defending the right of the Yemeni people to live with hope and in freedom and dignity, he added.
He said their courage and sacrifice would only strengthen the resolve of the UAE Armed Forces and the rest of the Arab coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to defend the legitimate government of Yemen.
Earlier in the day Friday, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan received a telephone call from the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who offered his condolences for the Emiratis who were killed.
It is learnt from different published stories of its daily English newspapers that HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received condolences over the phone from HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, HM King Abdullah II of Jordan, Yemeni President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Crown Prince, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Saudi Crown Prince, and Khaled Bahah, Vice-President of Yemen.
UAE leaders are proud of those gallant martyrs who became heroes in the Arab and Islamic history and answered the call of duty with steadfastness of men and conviction of the confident where they sacrificed their pure blood and lives for that cause.
The UAE martyrs has already set a tremendous example of heroism and projected the meaning of sacrifice and dedication. It is the spectacular characteristics of its dutiful soldier who always defends its native land and homeland and safeguards Arab values. UAE martyrs have engraved their names in the annals of Arab and Islamic history.
UAE’s operation restoring hope is the ultimate hope for the Yemenis to get rid of Houthis who had tried to overthrow the legitimacy and occupied government of Yemen. Massive infiltration, conspiratorial sponsorship and proxy war badly damaged the integration of Yemen. UAE operation restoring hope destroyed the ill designs of Houthis and recaptured/regained support in Aden, Abyan, Lahij and Sana. Restoring hope is getting momentum and now the provinces one by one are being freed from the domination of Houthis and the Aden has become completely under the control of resistance and other cities like Lahij are on the way to freedom.
President H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed has declared that November 30 each year will be observed as Martyrs’ Day. According to state news agency Wam, the country will celebrate the honour and loyalty of its martyrs, in recognition of the sacrifices they made for their country, in the memory of its sons who have given their lives to keep the flag of the UAE flying high, as they performed their tasks and duties in the homeland and abroad, in the civil, military and humanitarian fields.
In UAE a bank has also agreed to waive the financial obligations of soldiers who died in Yemen. Moreover, First Gulf Bank also announced it was donating Dh5 million to the Yemen: We Care campaign.
The Emirates Post is commemorating the 45 soldiers who lost their lives in Yemen last week with a series of stamps to mark the coming Martyrs’ Day national holiday. The issuance of stamps reflects EPG’s spirit of national loyalty and solidarity with those who serve the nation selflessly and fearlessly.
Most recently, on the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority (ERC), an initiative to carry out development projects has been launched by the authority to commemorate the Emirati martyrs who died while performing their national duty.
As part of the ‘UAE Martyrs’ initiative, the ERC opened a camp for the displaced Iraqis in Erbil, Kurdistan. The camp comprises 1,000 housing units which can accommodate up to 7,000 people, in addition to a clinic, two schools for boys and girls, an administrative centre, a bakery, a mosque, shops and a children park.
Concluding Remarks
A three day national mourning has already been observed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was observed with dignity, pride and patience. The fallen Emirati soldiers have become the icons of bravery, courage, dutifulness and determination. They have become the true signs of nationalism, patriotism and service. They have become the shining starts for their countrymen who are now fighting against the powers of darkness. Long live all the UAE martyrs – their valuable sacrifices will be remembered forever.
