UAE envoy succumbs to injuries sustained in Afghanistan blast

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) envoy to Afghanistan died on Wednesday of injuries sustained in a bomb attack in Kandahar province in January, officials said.

Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi, 65, was caught in a bomb attack that killed 11 others at the Kandahar Governor's guest house on January 10.

He had been receiving treatment for his wounds at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. The Taliban denied they were behind the attack, blaming it on "internal local rivalry".

"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn the martyr of the nation and his duty, the righteous son Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi, who gave his pure soul for the sake of humanity," the UAE's Ministry of Presidential Affairs said in a statement that was cited by official news agency WAM.

Another five UAE officials were killed in the blast in southern Afghanistan, along with six other people, including the Deputy Governor, two senior Afghan officials and two MPs.

Seventeen people were also wounded, including the provincial Governor.

The UAE said the officials had been carrying out "humanitarian, educational and development projects". Among the projects was signing an agreement with Kardan University, in the capital Kabul, to offer scholarships funded by the UAE.

--IANS

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