Saudi invites 1,500 relatives of slain Yemen, Sudan soldiers to Hajj

Some 1,500 relatives of Yemeni and Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen have been invited to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage this year under the sponsorship of the Saudi government following a decree by King Salman.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Latif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, said the order aims to express “appreciation and loyalty to those who gave their lives to defend Yemen’s security and unity as well as territorial integrity from the control of Houthi militias backed by Iran.”

Saudi Arabia has been leading a military alliance of Arab states since 26 March 2015 against the Houthis who took control of several provinces of Yemen including the capital, Sanaa.

READ: Hajj money pays for Saudi’s wars