A UAE soldier who sustained critical injuries during Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen in 2015 has passed away. Mohammed Atiq Salem bin Saluma Al Khaili had been in the intensive care unit for nearly 10 years.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed his death and expressed its heartfelt condolences to his family.
وزارة الدفاع تنعي شهيد الواجب محمد عتيق الخييلي
تنعى وزارة الدفاع شهيد الواجب الرقيب/١ محمد عتيق سالم الخييلي والذي تعرض لإصابة حرجة خلال مشاركته بعملية عاصفة الحزم عام 2015 في اليمن وكان تحت العناية المركزة وإرتقى شهيدا مساء الامس.
وتتقدم بخالص العزاء والمواساة إلى “أسرة… pic.twitter.com/q9K5h9rpJm— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) November 27, 2024
In September 2015, 45 UAE soldiers lost their lives while fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, marking the deadliest battlefield toll in the country’s history.
A UAE minister had previously reported that a surface-to-surface missile exploded in the ammunition depot, targeting the soldiers. Seven soldiers had died earlier, raising the death toll of UAE soldiers in Yemen to 52.
Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, offered his condolences to the soldier’s family. He also attended the mourning majlis held in the Abu Samra area in Al Ain.
