Bodies of Emirati martyrs killed in Somalia attack arrive in Abu Dhabi

The bodies of the nation's honorable martyrs, Colonel Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary 1 Mohammed Al Shamsi, Undersecretary 1 Khalifa Al Balushi, and Corporal Suleiman Al Shehhi, arrived at Al Bateen Airport on Sunday morning, on board a military plane.

The military ceremony to receive the bodies of the martyrs took place on the airport grounds, where a number of senior leaders and officers of the Ministry of Defense and a number of the martyrs’ families and relatives were at the reception.

The Ministry of Defense had previously announced the martyrdom of 3 members of the UAE Armed Forces and an officer from the Bahrain Defense Force, and the injury of 2 others as a result of being exposed to a terrorist act in the sisterly Republic of Somalia, while performing their work duties in training and qualifying the Somali Armed Forces, which falls within the bilateral agreement between The UAE and the Republic of Somalia within the framework of military cooperation between the two countries.

In a statement, the MoD prayed to Allah Almighty to have mercy on the martyrs, and extended its deepest condolences to their families, wishing for a full and swift recovery for those injured.

The Ministry added that the United Arab Emirates continues to coordinate and cooperate with the Somali government in investigating the heinous terrorist act.

WAM