Riyadh missile attack leaves Bogura family grieving, two children fatherless

Kakoli Begum was expecting her husband, Shahed Ahmed Ashik, to call again after reaching Jeddah. Instead, she waited for a call that never came.

Shahed, 35, a Bangladeshi expatriate from Bogura, was killed in a missile attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, leaving behind his wife, two young children and a grieving family.

His nine-year-old and four-year-old children have lost their father, while Kakoli faces an uncertain future without the family's main breadwinner.

Shahed was the son of Rafiqul Islam alias Mithu, of Malipara village in Madla Union under Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura.

He had been working in Saudi Arabia for three years. On 7 September, he returned home on a two-month leave, hoping to spend some time with his family.

But amid the tense situation in the Middle East, he decided to return to Saudi Arabia earlier than planned to protect his job. After spending only a month at home, he left for the kingdom on Friday evening, 9 October.

His destination was Jeddah, where he worked, and he was scheduled to travel there via Riyadh.

Victim's brother Masum Rana said Shahed last spoke to his wife by mobile phone at around 5 pm local time on Saturday (10 October) after arriving at King Khalid International Airport.

He told Kakoli that he had reached Riyadh and would call her again after arriving in Jeddah.

That was the last time she heard from him.

The family could not contact Shahed afterwards, leaving them anxious about his whereabouts until news of his death emerged.

On Sunday night, Shajahanpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Taifur Rahman confirmed the death, citing information from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

He said a missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi forces struck the King Khalid International Airport terminal at around 3:20 pm on Saturday, killing Shahed among other passengers.

The UNO said the death had been confirmed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Officials have visited the family's home to offer assistance, and steps are being taken to bring Shahed's body back to Bangladesh at government expense, following the necessary procedures, he added.

Grief has engulfed the family as they struggle to come to terms with the loss.

Shahed's father, Rafiqul Islam, is also in Saudi Arabia for work, while his mother, Shahera Begum, is there to perform Umrah. The tragedy has thus left Kakoli and her two young children facing the immediate pain of losing their loved one, with the family's future suddenly uncertain.

For Kakoli, the loss is not only that of a husband but also of the person with whom she shared the responsibility of raising their children and building their future.

As arrangements are made to bring Shahed's body home, his family in Bogura waits to bid him a final farewell.

A missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people, including two Bangladeshis, and injured more than 300 others, Saudi civil aviation authorities said on Sunday, with several victims in critical condition.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Sunday said two Bangladeshis were killed and four others are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital following an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

The state minister said the government is working to identify the deceased, determine their districts of origin and collect information about their families so that they can be contacted without delay.

"Our mission is working closely with the Saudi government to identify those killed and injured, as nationals of many countries have been affected amid the conflict situation," she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.