By IINA,
Kuwait City : Former Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al Sabah has died yesterday evening after a long illness, the royal court announced. He was 78. Sheikh Saad was buried this morning at the cemetry of Sulaibikhat, north of Kuwait City, amid a large number of people, led by the Amir and top officials, who performed prayers for the soul of the deceased before the burial procedures. Sheikh Saad suffered from colon problems and battled cancer.
The already ailing Sheikh Saad succeeded to the throne in 2006 after the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah. He was then deposed by parliament after only nine days on health grounds. Born in 1930, Sheikh Saad was the eldest son of the late Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, the 11th emir of Kuwait, known as the father of independence and the constitution. He was Kuwait’s crown prince between 1977 and 2006. He was also prime minister between 1977 and 2003 when he relinquished the post due to poor health.
Sheikh Saad received his basic education in Kuwait before joining Hendon police college in London, where he attended specialist courses in police and security affairs until 1954. He held various posts in the Kuwaiti police and public security services until 1959, when he was appointed deputy director of the police and public security department. He remained in that post until 1961.
In January 1962, Sheikh Saad was appointed interior minister in the first Kuwaiti cabinet after independence from Britain the previous year. In 1964, he was also put in charge of defense. In early 1997, he underwent colon surgery. He had since traveled repeatedly to Britain and the United States for tests and treatment as his health deteriorated. He was married to his immediate cousin Sheikha Latifa. He has one son, Fahd, and three surviving daughters. Two other daughters have died.