Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa yesterday received the BDF Haj mission ahead of their departure to the holy sites.
Defence Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Abdulla Al Nuaimi and Chief of Staff Lt Gen Theyab bin Saqr Al Nuaimi were present.
The Commander-in-Chief conveyed the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister, wishing the mission success.
He affirmed that the BDF Haj mission reflects the King’s continued support for enabling personnel to perform Haj annually in recognition of their service.
Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa also commended the facilitations provided by the government of Saudi Arabia for pilgrims, which enable them to perform the Haj rituals with ease and reassurance.
l Bahrain’s Haj Mission secretary-general Khalid Al Malood yesterday said that all logistical and administrative preparations have been completed to receive Bahraini pilgrims for the season.
“Operations are proceeding according to an integrated operational plan aimed at ensuring the comfort of pilgrims upon their arrival at the holy sites,” he said.
“The first specialised committees of the mission began departing for Mecca and Madina on May 7 and have commenced field duties, including preparing official accommodation sites and inspecting facilities to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards.
“The committees also inspected camps in Mina and Arafa to ensure full readiness ahead of the arrival of pilgrims,” Mr Al Malood said.
Regarding travel arrangements, he highlighted that Bahraini Haj tour operators will operate 36 organised outbound travel groups by air to ensure smooth movement through airports.
“The mission is monitoring all flights transporting 4,625 pilgrims and providing the necessary support to 23 licensed tour operators to ensure adherence to approved schedules in co-ordination with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia.
“The mission operates through a workforce of 90 members distributed across nine specialised committees and work teams, including the mission secretariat, finance and headquarters committee, contractors and pilgrims relations committee, engineering planning committee, public relations and media committee, evaluation and follow-up committee, medical committee, transport committee, security committee and the scouts team.”
He affirmed that the mission places the comfort of Bahraini pilgrims among its top priorities, supported by technical preparations and qualified personnel to ensure a smooth pilgrimage journey from departure until safe return.
&uuid=(email))