Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah has died after a 14-year reign and decades of service to the small Middle Eastern country. He was 91.
The emir’s death was announced by an official statement read Tuesday on Kuwaiti state television. Sheikh Sabah had been dealing with health issues and had undergone surgery. He was flown to the United States for treatment in July, according to the New York Times. His exact cause of death is not immediately clear.
“With sincere sadness, Kuwait, its people, the people of the Arab and Muslim world, and the people of the world offer their condolences for the death of Emir Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, may God forgive him,” said Minister of Royal Court Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah on state TV.
Sheikh Sabah became ruler of the tiny oil-rich nation in 2006 after the Kuwaiti parliament voted unanimously to oust Saad Al Salim Al Sabah, who was suffering from poor health, just nine days into reign. Sheikh Sabah’s Kuwait was a close ally of the United States as it fought in the region during the Iraq War.
Prior to his time as monarch, Sheikh Sabah served as Kuwait’s foreign minister for some 40 years until 2003 when he was elevated to the position of prime minister. Perhaps Sheikh Sabah’s biggest test in terms of foreign policy came when Iraqi troops led by Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied Kuwait. A U.S.-aligned coalition ousted the Iraqis in 1991.
To this day, Kuwait houses some 13,500 U.S. forces and is home to the forward command of U.S. Army Central. The late emir reportedly expressed support for a lasting U.S. presence in his country in order to provide it a sense of protection.
“One learns from the past and learns about it for the future,” Sheikh Sabah said, according to the Associated Press. “One has to consider arrangements that would make not only my country stable but make the whole area stable.”
Kuwait’s 83-year-old crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the late ruler’s half-brother, is expected to be sworn in as the country’s next monarch.
