Killed in Saudi airport attack: Wedding anniversary turns into a final farewell

October 23 was supposed to be a day of cherished memories for Kohinoor Akter Kakoli.

It was on this day in 2013 that she married Shahed Ahmed. Exactly 13 years later, she found herself at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, waiting to receive her husband’s body.

The day that once celebrated their love and togetherness had turned into one of unbearable grief.

Around 8:00am yesterday, Kakoli sat in a room used for handover of bodies at the airport, her two sons beside her. Ten-year-old Kawsar Ahmed Jisan and five-year-old Abdullah Al Jihad had accompanied their mother to receive their father, who was killed in a missile attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 10.

Shahed, from Madla village in Bogura’s Shajahanpur upazila, had been working in Saudi Arabia since 2023.

He returned home on September 7 on two months’ leave. But after spending just a month with his family, he decided to leave early, hoping to fulfil a promise he had made to his wife: to take her to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

“He was home for a month. Most of the time, he stayed at home,” Kakoli said, struggling to contain her grief.

Several deaths among their relatives had prevented the family from going out together.

Shahed, however, tried to make the most of his time with his sons. He took them shopping, bought them clothes and chocolates, and fulfilled their little wishes.

Those ordinary moments were precious for a family accustomed to spending much of the year apart.

On October 9, Shahed left his village home, with a flight to Saudi Arabia scheduled for the following day.

Kakoli said her husband had returned early to arrange her visit. He planned to settle everything in Saudi Arabia and bring her there 15 days later. He was also concerned that flights might be suspended because of the ongoing war.

But the journey they had planned together never took place.

After reaching Riyadh, Shahed called Kakoli to tell her he had arrived safely. He told her not to cry and said he would call again after reaching Jeddah in about an hour and a half.

He also spoke to their children.

Then the connection suddenly dropped.

Kakoli heard nothing unusual during the conversation. Thinking it was a network problem, she waited for him to call again.

The call never came.

She did not know then that she had heard her husband’s voice for the last time.

At the airport yesterday, their youngest son, Jihad, appeared too young to grasp the full weight of the loss.

While his mother sat overwhelmed by grief, the five-year-old moved around the room. His elder brother, Jisan, a fourth-grade student, was confronting the loss at just 10 years old.

At the airport, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam received Shahed’s body on behalf of the government before handing it over to the family.

The family received Tk 35,000 for burial and transportation expenses, and Tk 50,000 as a special grant through the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Shahed’s employer, Saad Al Eisa Contracting Company, has also deposited 27,395.62 Saudi riyals, equivalent to around Tk 9 lakh, with the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh against his outstanding salary, allowances and service benefits.

The money is expected to be handed over to his family soon.

But Kakoli still had a more painful journey ahead: returning to Madla village in Bogura with her two young sons and her husband’s body.