On Tuesday, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu awarded special recognition shields to five surviving members of the Recce Patrol who were instrumental in defending the Maldives during the terror attack on November 3, 1988.

The shields were awarded during the official Victory Day event at Republic Square.

The individuals honored with the Shield on November 3 are:

Sergeant First Class (Retired) Ibrahim Shareef

Staff Sergeant (Retired) Hussain Ali

Sergeant (Retd) Hussain Manik

Corporal (Retd) Abdullah Naseem

Lance Corporal (Retired) Abdullah Mufeed

They belonged to the elite Recce Patrol unit that faced the mercenaries attacking Male', and were recognized for their courage, sacrifice, and decisive actions that protected national sovereignty. Three members of the unit were killed during the assault.

The event commenced with the hoisting of the Presidential Standard, succeeded by the unveiling of shields created by Abdulla Matheen Ahmed, Design Consultant at the President’s Office. The MNDF also conducted Leyge Jihaad, a reenactment honoring the occurrences of November 3. The President subsequently unveiled the MNDF’s new album of patriotic music and gave his national address for Victory Day.

The gathering was attended by high-ranking state officials, such as Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Chief Justice Uz Abdul Ghanee Mohamed, Cabinet Ministers, MNDF leadership, and the families of the heroes from 1988. Victory Day is celebrated each year to recognize the bravery of the military personnel and civilians who protected the country during the assault that resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers and 11 civilians.