The UAE Armed Forces' first batch of soldiers, who went above and beyond their call of duty during their participation in the Operation Restoring Hope in war-torn Yemen, have crossed the Ghuwaifat Border today at 6 a.m.

A massive reception and huge celebrations at Sweihan, Abu Dhabi, will soon be underway to honour the first batch of UAE's brave soldiers, who came back to the UAE in line with a troop rotation policy, which witnessed the second batch of UAE's troops begin their national duties in Yemen on November 2.

In an interview with Abu Dhabi TV, Mohammad Al Hammadi, editor in chief of Al Ittihad newspaper, said: "We pray for the second batch of the UAE armed forces to return to us safely to us. We also pray for the fallen martyrs who laid down their lives to restore hope and normality to Yemen.”

The first batch of troops who saw action in Yemen are coming back to the UAE in line with a troop rotation policy, which saw the second batch of UAE Armed Forces soldiers assume their duties in Yemen on November 2.

Read more on Operation Restoring Hope

The troops will head to Sweihan where a military parade will be held in their honour with performances by UAE army personnel. In attendance will be UAE leaders, VIPs, officials and media. The military convoy is expected to cross over from Ghuwaifat on the UAE-Saudi border at about 6.30 am on Saturday.

The arrival of the first batch of soldiers is set to be covered by all television and radio channels across the UAE in a unified broadcast. The coverage from 8 am until 8 pm will include a ceremonial reception to welcome back the brave soldiers and will feature a number of interviews with military experts.

Visitors to several of the capital's main malls will be able to witness the events via big screens, which will broadcast the celebrations live.

The 15-kilometre convoy will arrive in Ghayathi, an area between Abu Dhabi city and Ghuwaifat, before heading to the Sweihan military camp at around 12:30 pm.

UAE citizens and residents are tweeting using a hashtag in Arabic, which translates to Replacing the Brave UAE Soldiers.

The Armed Forces played a massive role in in the liberation of Marib from the Al Houthis and forces loyal to ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as liberating the Marib dam which was rebuilt by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and inaugurated in 1986.

The objective of the Arab coalition's operations in Yemen is to end the rebellion and restore stability to the country. Operation Restoring Hope was launched following Operation Decisive Storm in order to complete the liberation of Yemen and reconstruct it following the destruction perpetrated by Al Houthis and Saleh.

Source: Gulf News