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In phone call with UAE minister, Jaishankar condemns ‘terror attack’ in Abu Dhabi
UAE drone attack: The attack in Abu Dhabi came a fortnight after Houthi rebels seized the UAE-flagged vessel Rwabee with 11 crew members, including seven Indian nationals, in the Red Sea.
India on Tuesday condemned the drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that killed two Indian nationals as a terrorist incident and conveyed the country’s strong solidarity to the emirates in the face of such assaults.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar discussed Monday’s “terror attack” with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a telephone conversation, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
The UAE foreign minister shared details of the attack and conveyed his government’s deepest condolences at the death of the two Indians. He assured Jaishankar that the UAE government will extend the fullest support to the families of the dead, and said authorities in the emirates are in touch with the Indian embassy in this regard.
Jaishankar “condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms”, and emphasised that such “an attack on innocent civilians was completely unacceptable and against all civilised norms”. He appreciated the immediate assistance provided by UAE authorities to the Indian embassy in responding to the situation.
Jaishankar also “conveyed India’s strong solidarity with UAE in the face of such an attack”, and said that India, given its principled position against terrorism, will “stand with UAE in international forums on this issue”.
Earlier in the day, the Indian embassy in the UAE said on Twitter that the two Indians killed in the drone attack on Abu Dhabi had been identified. It also said two of the six people injured in Monday’s attack were Indian nationals and were discharged after medical treatment.
The mission did not give details about the two dead Indians. The external affairs ministry is working with UAE authorities for the repatriation of the bodies.
The embassy thanked the government and foreign ministry of the UAE and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for their support.
ADNOC confirmed on Monday that the three people – two Indians and a Pakistani national – killed in the drone attack were its employees. They died in explosions and fires that followed the drone attack. The explosions hit three petroleum transport tankers near ADNOC’s storage tanks at the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Another fire broke out in a new construction area of Abu Dhabi international airport.
Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said his group launched an attack deep inside the UAE but didn’t provide details.
Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces carried out an air strike on the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa in retaliation for the attack on Abu Dhabi. According to initial estimates cited in media reports, the air strike killed 14 people. The coalition also said it intercepted eight drones launched toward Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The attack in Abu Dhabi came a fortnight after Houthi rebels seized the UAE-flagged vessel Rwabee with 11 crew members, including seven Indian nationals, in the Red Sea. India and the UAE have demanded the immediate release of the crew members.
Yemen has seen intense fighting since Houthi rebels seized Sanaa in 2014. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in support of the government in 2015. Though the UAE has decreased the number of troops it has on the ground, it continues to support militias fighting the Houthis and cooperates with the US in counter-terrorism efforts in Yemen.
