Juma Al Kaabi

Juma Mohammed Al Kaabi (Arabic: جمعة محمد الكعبي‎; 1966  – February 15, 2017) was an Emirati career diplomat who served as the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Afghanistan from July 28, 2016 to January 10, 2017.[3] Al Kaabi died after suffering from injuries that were sustained on the 10 January 2017 Afghanistan bombings while he was on a humanitarian mission to open an orphanage in Kandahar, Afghanistan.[4]

Juma Al Kaabi
United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Afghanistan
In office
July 28, 2016 – January 10, 2017
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed
Preceded byYousef Saif Khamis Al Ali[1]
Succeeded byEssa Salem Al Dhaheri[2]
Personal details
Born
Juma Mohammed Abdullah Al Kaabi

1966
Al Qor, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
DiedFebruary 15, 2017(2017-02-15) (aged 50–51)
France
Cause of deathInjuries from a bombing attack suspected by Taliban
Resting placeAl Qor, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
NationalityEmirati
ProfessionDiplomat

Early life and education

Al Kaabi was born in 1966 in the village of Wadi Al Qor in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. He was the eldest of his siblings. He has 2 brothers and 6 sisters. His father died while he was 18 years old and he became the primary care taker of his family after the death of his father.[5]

Career

After finishing high school, he joined the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. He then joined the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 8 years before being appointed on July 28, 2016 as the UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan.[3]

Death
Main article: 10 January 2017 Afghanistan bombings

On January 10, 2017 Al Kaabi was on a humanitarian mission to Kandahar province, Afghanistan, to lay the foundation stone of an orphanage sponsored by the UAE government.[6] A bombing occurred while he was on a dinner visit to the Kandahar governor's house, Humayun Azizi. A member of the Kandahar governor’s staff – likely a cook – smuggled explosives hidden in food to the compound.[7] Authorities said the bomb was planted in a sofa and exploded when Ambassador Juma Al Kaabi and Kandahar Governor Humayun Azizi had stepped out of the room. A total of 13 people were killed and 18 were injured in the explosion among them Al Kaabi and Azizi. 5 UAE diplomats were killed in the attack.[8] The attack was one of three other attacks that occurred on the same date. Taliban claimed responsibility for the other two attacks, but denied the responsibility of the attack on the UAE diplomatic mission.[9]

Al Kaabi was evacuated to Abu Dhabi by a military plane to receive further treatment for his injuries.[10] He was then transferred for medical treatment in one of the specialty hospitals in France. On February 15, 2017, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that Al Kaabi has died due to his injuries which were sustained on the bombing attack.[11]

According to Emirati security officials, the bomb device was a sophisticated device used in an assassination attempt and had three compartments, which exploded one after the other ensuring that even late-arriving rescuers were hit by the blasts.[12]

Personal life

Al Kaabi was married and had 3 daughters, 2 sons, and 2 grandchildren.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Afghan president receives UAE ambassador". Emirates News Agency. 3 June 2015.
  2. "أمام محمد بن راشد..عدد من سفراء الدولة يؤدون اليمين القانونية". Emirates News Agency. 1 July 2018.
  3. "خليفة يصدر مراسيم بإنشاء سفارات للإمارات والتصديق على اتفاقيات". Al Khaleej. 28 July 2016.
  4. "Tributes to Juma Al Kaabi, the UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan". The National. 15 February 2017.
  5. "شؤون الرئاسة تنعى شهيد الإنسانية السفير جمعة الكعبي". 16 February 2017.
  6. "Afghanistan bombings: Dozens killed across the country". BCC. 10 January 2017.
  7. "Kandahar explosives that killed UAE ambassador to Afghanistan hidden in food". The National. 4 April 2017.
  8. "Five U.A.E. Diplomats Among Dead In Kandahar Explosion". rferl.org. 11 January 2017.
  9. "Five UAE officials killed in Kandahar attack". France24. 11 January 2017.
  10. "UAE ambassador returns home for treatment after bombing in Kandahar". The National. 12 January 2017.
  11. "UAE ambassador dies of injuries sustained in Afghanistan terror attack". The National. 15 February 2017.
  12. "UAE's relationship with Taliban questioned after Afghanistan bomb". Financial Times. 4 February 2017.
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