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Kuwait's Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah passes away: Who was he?
Kuwait Emir Dies: Sheikh Nawaz was the defence minister when Iraq invaded in 1990 which set off a war that drew in armies from around the world.
Updated on: Dec 16, 2023, 16:37:53 IST
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Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah served as Kuwait's emir for just three years after spending decades in top posts in the country. Sheikh Nawaf died aged 86, state TV reported. He was named crown prince in 2006 by his half-brother Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Sheikh Nawaf later took over as emir when he died in September 2020 at the age of 91.
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Key things to know about Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah:
- He was the defence minister when Iraq invaded in 1990 which set off a war that drew in armies from around the world.
- He served as country's interior minister when Kuwaiti security forces battled militants in January 2005.
- Sheikh Nawaf showed a rare sign of public emotion when he was formally sworn in by the Gulf state's national assembly in 2020.
- Born in 1937, Sheikh Nawaf was the fifth son of Kuwait's late ruler from 1921 to 1950 Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
- He received secondary schooling in Kuwait but did not receive higher education. He started his political career at 25 as governor of Hawalli province where he remained until 1978.
- Sheikh Nawaf became defence minister two years before the start of the seven-month Iraqi occupation in 1991.
- Sheikh Nawaf returned as deputy commander of the national guard in 1994 and in 2003 became interior minister again.
- As he became emir, Sheikh Nawaf aimed to steer the economy through a crisis caused by a fall in oil prices. In his inauguration speech, the emir acknowledged "serious" challenges.
- His government spent heavily as it doubled public debt in 18 months amid Covid pandemic.
- Mohammed al-Faily, an expert in constitutional law at Kuwait University, said Sheikh Nawaf was generally considered "a calm person who, when it calls for it, can take firm decisions".
