By Hala Al-Qahtani
EVERYBODY knows that Saudi armed forces in the south along the Yemen border have the most advanced weapons in the Middle East and nobody can ignore this fact.
The Kingdom’s continuous efforts to modernize its armed forces were not only aimed at meeting the defense requirements of the vast country but also confronting the new challenges. Furthermore, it was essential to deal with speedy developments that have cropped up in the region.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia has the most valuable and capable human sources that have been positioned along its borders and strategic locations to defeat enemies. These courageous men in uniform have always expressed their readiness to sacrifice their lives to defend their beloved nation and people.
When Saudi Arabia was bestowed the honor of housing the Two Holy Mosques, the Almighty also gave its wise leadership and brave soldiers the power and capability to protect them. The Kingdom’s soldiers have built a fortress around the country.
Our soldiers have set several examples of courage and chivalry during difficult times and showed their inimitable valor and wisdom. The courageous people not only fight with enemies but give every support to their colleagues, often endangering own lives.
The heroic battles being fought by the Saudi men deployed on the southern border cannot be explained in words and many of them including top-ranking and low-ranking military officers have emerged successful in confronting difficult situations.
When a group of Border Guards came under attack by Houthi mercenaries, soldier Adel Saleh Al-Selais got injured in his leg but he ignored that injury when he learned that a colleague had sustained a more serious injury. Al-Selais then asked his colleagues to stay behind and sprayed bullets at enemy positions to save his colleagues and take them to a safer location.
Mamdouh Bin Abdullah Al-Anazi, a low-ranking soldier, had a similar experience. He was from the first-aid team of the armed forces. He stepped on a land mine while he was going to pick the first-aid bag which he had forgotten. He did not remove his leg from the mine in order to avoid its explosion.
Perhaps you might have seen Al-Anazi’s photo standing on a mine as the incident had gone viral on the social media. His colleague Majed Bin Abdullah Al-Motairy had called for experts to neutralize the mine. When the experts’ arrival got delayed Al-Motairy offered to stand on the mine but Al-Anazi refused the offer. Al-Motairy then cut a piece of cloth from Al-Anazi’s uniform from behind and held fast the mine until a stone was placed on it to save the lives of his colleague.
When the Houthi forces surrounded a building of border guards, violating the truce, the Saudi soldiers called for help. Eyad Al-Sulaimi Al-Harbi responded to that call. He moved ahead in his tank braving bullet showers of the Houthis and saved his colleagues from virtual death.
First Lt. Abdullah Saad Al-Shahri showed another example of bravery. When his vehicle came under fire, he went back to his colleagues who were traveling behind him in another vehicle to inform them about enemy presence. As a result his right hand and leg were injured.
While Houthis provide fake information about their victories to mislead their supporters, our brave and noble soldiers were celebrating real success stories on the ground. “Either victory or martyrdom” was the slogan of our soldiers who have dedicated their lives to defend their nation.
