Abu Dhabi: The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces announced on Tuesday the martyrdom of Major Pilot Ali Saeed Saif Al Mesmari and First Lieutenant Pilot Bader Yahiya Mohammad Al Marashdeh after their plane crashed due to a technical failure in Yemen.
The incident happened as the two pilots were performing their duty as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen.
The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces offered its condolences to martyrs’ families, praying to Allah Almighty to rest their souls in eternal peace.
Major Pilot Ali Saeed Saif Al Mesmari, 34, from Fujairah was married and had three children, one girl aged 10 and two boys aged 8 and 2.
The family of the martyr heard the news via social media and later his father received a call from the military forces and was informed about the demise.
"We all wish to die martyrs ...and his only wish was to attain martyrdom," said a relative. "For us there is no bigger honour than attaining martyrdom in the line of duty. We all live for this honour," the relative said.
First Lieutenant Pilot Bader Yahiya Mohammad Al Marashdeh, from Kalba in Sharjah, served in the UAE Air Force in Yemen for four months. Al Marashdeh, in his 20’s, was married and had one child.
