Abu Dhabi: It is business as usual for the government and private sectors as well as educational institutions across the country as the UAE mourns its martyrs, who offered the ultimate sacrifice bringing pride and honour to the nation and defending justice, a top official told Gulf News on Saturday.
“Flags will only be flown at half-mast along with other solemn remembrance ceremonies, prayers and recitation of the Holy Qur’an,” the official said.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has announced a three-day mourning period starting on Saturday in the wake of the death of the 45 Emirati soldiers in Yemen.
In a statement issued on Friday, the ministry said that President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan mourns the death of the brave soldiers who martyred while performing their sacred duty as part of Arab coalition’s forces’ Operation Restoring Hope in order to defend justice and righteousness and to support those who suffer injustice.
Forty-five Emirati soldiers were martyred on Friday when their ammunition depot was targeted by a rocket in Yemen’s historic Marib province.
They were taking part in the Arab coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope, aimed at driving out Al Houthis militia forces and restoring the legitimate government.
The bodies of Emirati soldiers killed on duty in Yemen were brought to the UAE on Saturday onboard a military plane of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence.
The military plane carrying the coffins landed at Al Bateen Airport, in the capital, accompanied by a group of Armed Forces officers and non-commissioned officers.
Ceremony
Senior Armed Forces officers held a solemn military ceremony at the airport to mark the return of the martyrs' bodies.
The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces on Friday mourned the soldiers who were killed in the line of duty during 'Operation Restore Hope', under the Saudi Arabia-led Arab alliance to support the people of Yemen and their legitimate government.
The UAE soldiers’ death bring the death toll of servicemen fighting in Operation Restoring Hope to 51 since the Saudi-led coalition began the fight to restore the Yemen government and oust Al Houthi rebels who have seized control of parts of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.
At least 50 UAE soldiers have died in Yemen and in June, a non-commissioned officer was killed during a training exercise in Saudi Arabia as part of a training exercise as part of the operation.
