An Emirati military commander has spoken for the first time of how his soldiers survived a deadly ambush while on an aid mission in Yemen.
Colonel Mohammed Almazrouei's men were pinned down by Houthi fighters in a canyon near the port town of Mokha during an operation in February 2018.
An ambush on their aid vehicle led to a seven-hour clash in which one soldier was killed and others seriously injured.
The incident three years ago is the subject of one of the biggest Emirati motion pictures to date, Al Kameen — The Ambush — directed by Pierre Morel, which was released in UAE cinemas on Thursday.
What I saw chilled me to the bone. The soldiers were seeking shelter behind an overturned vehicle, there was continuous shooting coming from every side
Col Mohammed Almazrouei
“People say that I’m a hero but I am far from that,” Col Almazrouei told The National after a special preview screening on Wednesday.
“A soldier died on my watch. What do I tell that soldier’s wife. What do I tell his family — that I let their son die?”
The incident unfolded when an aid vehicle was ambushed. The firefight that followed led to more vehicles being sent into the canyon, tripping ground mines as they arrived.
“We were told that there was a Yemeni family that needed assistance and it was like any other day,” he said.
“It was clear Sunday morning and the officers were going on with their work as usual.”
An armoured personnel carrying three servicemen and marked with the logo of the charity Red Crescent drove towards a location that had been given.
The call turned out to be a trap and when the soldiers arrived they found themselves under attack by fighters from the Iran-backed Houthi group.
One soldier, Sergeant Ali Al Mesmari, 29, was shot by a sniper and died instantly. Mesmari was among the first Emirati soldiers to be deployed in Yemen in 2015. Today, a street on Abu Dhabi's Reem Island is named in his honour.
“I remember getting the call — Almazrouei save us, Almazrouei get us out of here,” said the commander, who is portrayed in the film by actor Abdullah Saeed bin Haider.
“For a second I was in shock but I needed to think quickly and clearly.”
He sent four vehicles to rescue the first group. The first two were struck by landmines and the second two were fired at with RPG-style missiles.
When it was clear none of the vehicles would come out, Col Almazrouei went in himself.
He used his vehicle's smoke grenade launchers to create a smokescreen that fighters on the hillside could not see through.
He and his men ran from their vehicles and grabbed the wounded.
“What I saw chilled me to the bone. One of the vehicles was on fire,” he said.
“The soldiers were seeking shelter behind an overturned vehicle, there was continuous shooting coming from every side and UAE fighter planes shooting above us.”
In total it took seven hours for Col Almazrouei to rescue his comrades. Most had suffered injuries of varying severity.
“As soldiers, we are always prepared and have gone through countless mock drills and while we have expected this, nothing compares to the reality,” he said.
“You hear a lot of talk about how brave the Emirati soldier is but you never realise how much weight these words carry until you actually live the situation.”
Col Almazrouei came back to the UAE two weeks after the attack, a celebrated hero having saved the lives of at least 18 soldiers.
The last UAE troops withdrew from Yemen in October 2019. The country continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian support and advocates for a political solution to the conflict.
Col Almazrouei said there was nothing he would have done differently that fateful day, but he modestly rejects the praise heaped upon him.
“In my mind, I am far from the hero everyone says that I am,” he said.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Naga
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
