A military funeral was held Thursday 18 December for the four martyrs from the UAE and Egyptian Armed Forces who were killed Wednesday in a military aircraft crash during a joint training exercise.
Present were UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Arab League Mohammed bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri, Egyptian Defence Minister Lt. general Sidqi Subhi, Egyptian Interior Minister Major general Mohammed Ibrahim and Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. General Mahmoud Hijazi.
The UAE Ambassador also joined a funeral prayer at Al Maza military airport on the souls of the UAE martyrs Saif Khalaf Saif Al Zaabi and Abdullah Ali Al Hamoudi, as well as the two Egyptian martyrs.
Al Dhaheri conveyed condolences of the UAE leadership, government and people to the Egyptian defence and Interior Ministers. He also offered condolences to the families of the martyrs.
The Egyptian Defence Minister also offered Egyptain leadership, governmennt and people's condolences to the UAE.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the plane crash, which left four joint crew members dead, according to the agency.
Egypt and the UAE conducted their Siham al-Haq - Arrows of Righteousness - joint military exercise on December 11 with live ammunition. The training took place in the UAE and was attended by top officials from both countries.
The event aims to enhance the expertise of the participating units and to strengthen military cooperation and joint Arab action. It also aims to enhance expertise among the various participating units to meet the requirements of the joint military bonds between the two countries.
Siham al-Haq, the third to be held this year between the two sides, comes after “Zayed 1” in the UAE and “Khalifa 1” in Egypt.
In March 2014, Egypt’s Air, Naval and Special Forces coducted a 2-week joint training exercises with the UAE Armed Forces, dubbed “Zayed 1”.
The Egyptian troops traveled to the Gulf country to take part in the joint training exercises, which were held for the first time.
The two sides conducted practical exercises including tactical naval and air maneuvers, which involved the use of fighter jets, multi-purpose aircraft and destroyers.
The UAE has consistently expressed strong support for Egypt since the military-backed regime ousted Egypt's first democratically elected President in a coup last July. (File Photo)
