Abu Dhabi, August 9 (Khaleej Times): The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the UAE Armed Forces has announced the death of three of its soldiers deployed in Yemen as part of Saudi Arabia-led Operation Restoring Hope.
According to the GHQ, the martyrs were First Corporal Juma Jawhar Juma Al Hammadi, First Corporal Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Al Shehhi and First Corporal Fahim Saeed Ahmed Al Habsi.
The GHQ offered condolences to the families of the three martyred service members.
According to information, the three were killed while travelling in an armoured vehicle, which exploded after hitting a landmine.
Following the announcement, photographs of Khalid Al Shehhi went viral on social media, under the hashtag "#Ishtihad_janood_Al Emirat_Al Bawasil", Arabic for "the brave martyred soldiers of the UAE".
The last post written by Al Shehhi on Instagram before he died was "Oh God, I have ... trusted you with my mom, my family, my loved ones, my friends.
"Oh Allah, save them with Your non-sleeping eye."
Al Habsi hailed from Al Seeh neighbourhood in Ras Al Khaimah. The 33-year-old was married and is survived by his wife and five children - three daughters and two sons, said his paternal cousin Mohammed Ahmed Al Habsi.
"The family was informed this afternoon about his martyrdom, but the arrival of his body and his two companions are not determined," said Mohammed Al Habsi.
He said the martyr has two brothers and five sisters, and was the youngest in the family, which lost its breadwinner years ago. His mother is living in difficult conditions.
Many tweets conveyed sorrow and offered condolences to the families of the soldiers.
Emiratis and citizens from GCC states took to the social media to hail the three officers for laying down their lives while protecting the region. Omar Al Briki posted "faithfulness to the brethren and sacrifice for the safety and security of our territories confirmed that UAE men walk the talk".
In July, two other soldiers - non-commissioned officer Seif Youssef Ahmed Al Falasi and Lieutenant Abdul Aziz Sarhan Al Ka'abi - were killed in Yemen.
A third soldier, non-commissioned officer Hazim Obaid Al Ali, was killed during an exercise in Saudi Arabia in June.
Operation Restoring Hope is being carried out by the Arab coalition to back the people and legitimate government of Yemen.
The coalition has had considerable success in recent days, having successfully helped take control of Al Anad Airbase in Lahj province from Houthi rebels. Last month, pro-government forces backed by the coalition re-took Aden.
On Saturday, pro-government forces launched a major offensive to retake Zinjibar, the Houthi-held capital of Abyan province, AFP reported.