Updated

The leader of the United Arab Emirates, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke nearly three years ago, has returned to the country after a "private visit" abroad.

The state-run WAM news agency says Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan returned from a weeklong trip on Thursday. WAM didn't say where he went.

He was born in 1948 and became president after his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, died in 2004. He is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the seven UAE sheikhdoms.

Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke on Jan. 24, 2014, and underwent emergency surgery. He went abroad for several months last year.

The UAE is a strong Western ally and hosts American troops fighting the Islamic State group.