Abu Dhabi- UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan, Juma al-Kaabi, has died of injuries sustained in a terrorist attack in Kandahar in January in which five other Emiratis died while on a humanitarian mission.
The UAE delegation was attending the opening of an orphanage when a blast struck the provincial governor’s office, killing at least eleven people, including the five Emirati diplomats, and wounding 17 others. The explosives were placed under a sofa and went off as the Kandahar governor was entertaining his UAE guests at his guesthouse.
The diplomats were also expected to launch a number of other UAE-backed projects as part of an aid program in Afghanistan.
A statement on Wam read: “It is with great sadness and sorrow that we mourn the martyr of the nation, Juma Mohammed Abdullah al Kaabi, who lost his soul for the sake of humanity.”
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “With deep sorrow and grief, the death of a number of UAE’s sons who died Tuesday evening as a result of the terrorist bombing.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed mourned the passing of Kaabi. He praised the ambassador who had spent his life serving his homeland and sacrificed his life for a humanitarian cause.
The president of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, said he was deeply saddened by the death of Kaabi.
“The Emirati ambassador and his colleagues paid the highest sacrifices during a humanitarian mission for peace and development of Afghanistan,” he stated.
Ghani offered his condolences and sympathies to Kaabi’s family and the UAE, stressing that the people of Afghanistan would never forget his sacrifices.
Officials at NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, tweeted: “We mourn the loss of United Arab Emirates Ambassador Juma Al Kaabi. We remember him for his service to Afghanistan and commitment to peace.”
After the attack, Kaabi was transferred by military plane to Abu Dhabi for treatment.
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