Body of late Kuwaiti emir arrives home from US

KUWAIT CITY / ANKARA

The body of Kuwait's late emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, arrived in Kuwait on Wednesday from the US.

The body was received by Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the country’s new ruler, as well as senior statesmen and princes.

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the funeral prayer.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to al-Sabah's family in a phone call with new Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Amiri Diwan, or royal court, earlier announced that the burial of the late ruler will be limited to his family.

According to the Kuwaiti news agency, the late emir's body was buried in the country's northeastern cemetery of Sulaibikhat.

Sheikh Sabah died at age 91 in the US, where he had been receiving medical treatment.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara