Sultan Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi (1970,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

—14 December 2015, Taiz,

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

) was a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the United Arab Emirates Army who became one of the most senior officers killed during the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. He was also the highest ranking UAE officer to have been killed. In his legacy, the standard issue of the UAE armed forces rifle, the CAR 816, is named Caracal Sultan and bears an engraving honoring him.

Biography

Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi was born around 1970 in the

and served in its

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

since the 1990s, including as part of peacekeeping missions in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

.Brother of UAE soldier: I wish we could have seen him one last time
7 Days UAE. Published 15 December 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016
Archived
5 February 2016. During the

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

n-led coalition's intervention in the Yemeni civil war, Al-Kitbi took part in Operation ''Restoring Hope'' and was involved in the fighting to capture the city of Taiz, in southern Yemen. He was killed in a rocket attack by Houthi rebels on Monday, 14 December 2015, near Taiz along with Saudi Arabian colonel Abdullah al-Sahian. His body was later returned to the UAE. Al-Kitbi had seven children. His brother is a former member of the

Federal National Council The Federal National Council (FNC) (, ''al-Majlis al-Watani al-Ittihadi'') of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an advisory quasi-parliamentary body in the UAE. The FNC consists of 40 members. Twenty of the members are indirectly elected by the ...

References

United Arab Emirates Army officers 1970 births 2015 deaths Military personnel killed in the Yemeni civil war (2014–present) {{Asia-mil-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References