UAE celebrates the return of young Sheikh who was wounded in Yemen
A member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family who was injured in a helicopter crash in Yemen has returned to the UAE after months of medical treatment in Germany.
Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, 27, was injured in the crash in Yemen’s Shabwa province in August last year, where the UAE is leading efforts to combat Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Two other Emirati soldiers were injured in the crash, while four were killed. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, paid tribute to Sheikh Zayed’s return.
“The UAE, its people and its leaders rejoice at the return of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan to the homeland,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
“The pride of the Emirates youth and the descendant of their glory. The namesake of its founder and the best of those who represent the bravery and manliness of its noble soldiers.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, also took to Twitter.
“Every time the challenges become greater the sons of Zayed meet them,” he said.
“They are proud to heed the call of their country. The battlefields are witnesses to their sacrifice and Zayed bin Hamdan is one of the Emirates’ noble heroes.
“His comrades on the fields of honour are the best of the Emirati youth in effort and giving. We raise our heads with pride in them. There is no fear for a nation that has their like.”
In another tweet, the Crown Prince said: “We are all happy with the return of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan to the homeland in good health.
“We pray to God to protect our sons in service and to make them victorious, and that he grants the injured a quick recovery.
“We pray that our martyrs rest in peace and mercy.”
Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan is grandson of the country’s Founding Father and was serving in the elite Presidential Guard when he was injured.
He attended the prestigious Royal Military College of Sandhurst in the UK in 2009 before joining the UAE Armed Forces.
The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai was lit with the hashtag “Welcome Zayed bin Hamdan”, while in Abu Dhabi the Adnoc building was also illuminated with images celebrating the return of the royal.
One image showed Sheikh Hamdan in military fatigues while another carried the words “Welcome Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan”.
The Arab coalition in Yemen has launched an operation to drive out Al Qaeda from Wadi Al Masini in the eastern province of Hadramawt.
The Al Faisal Operation by the Saudi-led coalition, which includes the UAE, is focusing on three main areas and “is backed by massive carpet-bombing”, the state news agency Wam reported yesterday.
The report added that the coalition forces entered the Wadi Al Masini, an Al Qaeda stronghold, and had full control of its entry points.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula largely withdrew from Mukalla in Hadramawt in 2016 when government and Emirati soldiers seized the city that had been used by the extremists to amass a fortune amid the chaos of civil war.
After liberating Mukalla, the Emirates Red Crescent began aid relief operations and $20 million (Dh73.4m) was allocated to rebuild the port city and other development projects essential to Yemen’s economy.
Extremist groups have become a growing threat in war-torn Yemen, where government forces are fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Al-Qaeda and ISIL have tried to expand their presence.
The Arab coalition intervened in the war in 2015 on behalf of the internationally recognised government and has suppressed the efforts of extremist groups.
On Friday, a Yemen-born New Yorker pleaded guilty to trying to provide material support to ISIL. Mohamed Naji admitted that he tried to join the organisation in Yemen.
Naji said he travelled to Yemen in 2015 to join ISIL and “encouraged another person to join”. He said he did not join. Naji was arrested in 2016 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
In August 2015, a law enforcement informant began communicating with Naji on Facebook while he was in Yemen. The informant met Naji on his return to New York in September 2015 and recorded their conversations.
In July 2016, five days after an attack in Nice, France, that killed more than 80 people, Naji expressed his support for staging a similar attack in Times Square, court papers showed.