Afghanistan Times
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Five Emiratis were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The men were carrying out humanitarian, educational and development work in Afghanistan. The UAE ambassador to Afghanistan, Juma Al Kaabi, was also injured in the explosion, in Kandahar, as previously reported.
The dead were named on Wednesday as Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, Abdullah Mohammed Essa Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmed Rashid Salim Ali Al Mazroui, Ahmed Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al Tunaiji, and Abdul Hamid Sultan Abdullah Ibrahim Al Hammadi .
President Sheikh Khalifa, mourning the deaths, called for the lowering of the UAE flag for three days in all ministries, government departments and institutions to honour those killed, reported state news agency Wam
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said “It is with pride that we mourn today the martyrs of Emirati humanitarian work in Afghanistan.
“Five martyrs have given their lives while striving to serve the weak, the children and the needy.
“There is no humane, moral or religious justification behind the explosion and the killing of those who seek to help others. May God grant mercy on their souls.
“The Emirati people are proud of their sons who work in the humanitarian field and the country raises its head up high today for the martyrs who fell in the name of humanity unknown to those terrorists.”
Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, offered his condolences in a tweet, stating: “May God have mercy on their souls. May God grant their families patience and solace.”
In Kandahar, two explosions inside the heavily guarded governor’s compound killed at least seven people and wounded 18 others — including the UAE ambassador and governor Homayun Azizi. The bomb was hidden inside a sofa. At least 52 people were killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the south in a day of widespread violence.
The ambassador was in Kandahar to lay the foundation stone for the UAE-funded Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan orphanage and to sign an agreement with Kardan University for the UAE to offer scholarships there.
The GCC and Jordan condemned the attacks on Tuesday, and expressed solidarity with the UAE and government of Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “The State of Qatar condemns this criminal act which aims to destabilise security and stability in Afghanistan, and it affirms its solidarity with the UAE and its people,” according to Qatar News Agency, QNA.
The foreign ministry in Kuwait said “This terrorist crime, which targeted the noble humanitarian action and those supervising it, showed again how the menace of terrorism has been targeting mankind and those seeking wellbeing of others,” said a ministry source as quoted by Kuwait News Agency, KUNA.
