President honors frontline soldiers for bravery during the 1988 attack

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday presented special recognition shields to five surviving members of the Recce Patrol who played a frontline role in defending the Maldives during the November 3, 1988 terror attack. 

The shields were conferred at the official Victory Day ceremony held at Republic Square.

The recipients of the November 3 Shield are: 

• Sergeant First Class (Retd) Ibrahim Shareef 

• Staff Sergeant (Retd) Hussain Ali 

• Sergeant (Retd) Hussain Manik

• Corporal (Retd) Abdullah Naseem

• Lance Corporal (Retd) Abdullah Mufeed

They were part of the elite Recce Patrol unit that confronted the mercenaries who stormed Male', and were honoured for their bravery, sacrifice and decisive actions that safeguarded national sovereignty. Three members of the unit were martyred during the attack.

The ceremony began with the raising of the Presidential Standard, followed by the presentation of shields designed by Abdulla Matheen Ahmed, Design Consultant at the President’s Office. The MNDF also performed Leyge Jihaad, a reenactment commemorating the events of November 3. The President later launched the MNDF’s new album of patriotic songs and delivered his Victory Day national address.

The event was attended by senior state officials, including Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Chief Justice Uz Abdul Ghanee Mohamed, Cabinet Ministers, MNDF leadership and families of the 1988 heroes. Victory Day is marked annually to honour the courage of the soldiers and civilians who defended the nation during the attack that claimed eight soldiers and 11 civilian lives.