Bodies of Emirati martyrs arrive in UAE

Abu Dhabi:  The bodies of Emirati martyrs, who were killed in a terrorist blast in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while on a humanitarian mission, arrived today on board a military aircraft to a special reception attended by senior officials.

Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and a number of senior civilian and military officials were at the airport to receive the bodies.

The aircraft carried the bodies of four of the five heroes as the committee tasked with the identification of bodies could not locate the body of martyr Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, who was said to be standing on the same spot when the explosion took place.

The authorities notified the family members of martyr Al Bastaki who accepted the news with a great sense of pride and emphasised their determination to continue working in support of humanitarian efforts.