Sharjah: The father of First Sergeant Nasser Gareeb Nasser Al Mazroui said their son martyred himself for his nation.

The father of martyr Nasser Gareeb Nasser Al Mazroui told Gulf News that his son went to Yemen with a clear aim — either attain victory or martyrdom. “May he rest in peace and gain a place in paradise, he achieved one of his goals and became a martyr,” the father said.

“I congratulate him and our family for his martyrdom,” he added. The father, who worked as a doctor at Kalba hospital has nine children, five boys including Nasser, and four girls.

The martyr’s last words two years ago were, “‘... I will return to the country either with victory or obtain martyrdom’”, his father informed.

Nasser was in a coma for two years and was receiving treatment at a hospital, he added.

Nasser, who is from Kalba, is survived by his wife and two children, a daughter aged 3 and a boy aged 18 months.

Describing his son, the father said that he was a “caring son and a caring father, kind and generous. He would call and keep in touch with his children and family,” he said.

Though overwhelmed by the loss of their son, the parents are proud that he died defending his homeland.

Al Mazroui, 28, was injured in September 2015 in a rocket attack on an ammunition store that resulted in the deaths of 45 Emirati soldiers. He had been in a coma since and was being treated for severe brain injuries at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Immediately after the explosion, he was first admitted to a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, then [His Highness] Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan [Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces] instructed that he be flown to Germany for treatment. Al Mazroui spent a week there and was brought back to the UAE.

On Monday, the martyr’s family including his father, mother, wife and children received the tragic news but they exhibited fortitude and said that this was Allah’s wish.

Funeral prayers were held on Monday at Syed Al Shuhada’a mosque and the martyr was buried in Kalba cemetery.