Thousands of national services conscripts lined the ends of the desert paralleled by heavy armoured vehicles as Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed attended the final day of a military exercise on Sunday.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces drove alongside a parade of national service recruits and military reservists that extended kilometres as he visited Al Hamra Camp in Al Dhafra area of Abu Dhabi to watch Homat Al Watan 2 (Protectors of the Nation).
Sheikh Mohammed was received by Maj Gen Hamad Al Romaithi, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Maj Gen Sheikh Ahmed bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the National Service and Reserve and a number of senior commanders of the Armed Forces.
Members of the Armed Forces demonstrated field and combat skills and carried out a number of defence exercises using live ammunition and grenades, reported state news agency Wam.
The exercises were designed around various landscapes; some skills were demonstrated in mock residential areas while others were carried out by the sea – such as “Operation Defending the Sea Coast” which involved different Armed Forces units.
Sheikh Mohammed toured and reviewed the facilities of the Ground Forces Command and the weapons exhibition, where he was also briefed about the different kind of weaponry that the national service recruits are trained to use.
During his visit, Sheikh Mohammed praised the heroism of the country’s Armed Forces and commended them for their sacrifices.
“To every family, every mother, every father, we thank you for your education which raises our heads with pride. I bear witness that you have birthed and raised the greatest heroes we have seen.”
He later tweeted: "Protecting one's homeland is the noblest duty that can be performed.
"We are proud to see our youth uphold the highest military values and ably protect our nation. We have utmost confidence in their capabilities.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
