President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has mourned, with deep sorrow and grief, the death of a number of UAE’s sons who died Tuesday evening as a result of the terrorist bombing which took place at the headquarters of the Governor of Kandahar in Afghanistan.
The UAE martyrs have been named as Mohammad Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, Abdullah Mohammad Eisa Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmad Rashid Salim Ali Al Mazroui, Ahmad Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al Tunaiji, and Abdul Hamid Sultan Abdullah Ibrahim Al Hammadi, who had been on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects in the Republic of Afghanistan.
Shaikh Khalifa prayed to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon them.
In a statement from the Ministry of Presidential Affairs earlier today, the President directed all ministries and government departments and institutions across the country to fly the flag at half-mast for three days in honour of the martyrs who gave their lives in defence of humanitarian causes.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to mourn the martyrs, saying there is no human or moral or religious reason for bombing and killing those who want to help people.
ننعى اليوم بكل فخر شهداء العمل الانساني الإماراتي في جمهورية أفغانستان، خمسة شهداء ختموا حياتهم وهم يسعون لخدمة الضعفاء والأطفال والمحتاجين pic.twitter.com/P5Nserg3eD
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) January 11, 2017
Shaikh Mohammad said the five martyrs died trying to help poor people and children in Kandahar. He said the Emirati people were proud of them.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said attacks of this nature "won't deter us from walking the path of giving and charity".
Mohamed bin Zayed: Abhorrent acts of terror conducted by forces of evil & darkness won't deter us from walking the path of giving & charity
— أخبار محمد بن زايد (@MBZNews) January 11, 2017
More tributes poured in on social media, using the hashtag #UAEMartyrs.
#UAEMartyrs 🇦🇪 are our pride .... pic.twitter.com/uk3ZuLAqwc
— حسن سجواني (@HSajwanization) January 11, 2017
The UAE has a long been involved in humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.
A 2011 film documented how the military delivered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, maintained security and supported social and economic development in the war-torn country.
An earlier UAE Foreign Ministry statement said the diplomats were in Kandahar as part of a humanitarian mission.
Authorities said that included laying the foundation stone for the UAE-funded Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan orphanage and to sign an agreement with Kardan University for the UAE to fund scholarships there.
Details of attack
The UAE officials were among 56 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghan cities, authorities said Wednesday, as Taliban militants step up a deadly winter campaign of violence.
The Emiratis were among 13 people killed when explosives hidden in a sofa detonated inside the governor's compound in southern Kandahar on Tuesday.
Just hours before, twin Taliban blasts in Kabul tore through employees exiting a parliament annexe, which houses the offices of lawmakers, killing at least 36 people and wounding 80 others.
And earlier Tuesday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of volatile Helmand province, as the militants ramp up nationwide attacks despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually wanes.
The carnage underscores growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where US-backed forces are struggling to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as Al Qaida and Daesh militants.
Kandahar's governor Humayun Azizi and UAE envoy Ambassador Juma Al Kaabi were wounded by flames from the explosion, but many others were burned beyond recognition, said provincial police chief Abdul Raziq, who was at the scene when the blast occurred.
"This incident will in no way affect the relations and cooperation between Afghanistan and UAE," President Ashraf Ghani said, ordering an investigation into the bombing.
The Taliban denied responsibility for the Kandahar attack, but they said they were behind the Kabul blasts.
