Abdullah Bozkurt
Turkish troops deployed at a military base in Doha monitored diplomatic and political developments in Qatar on a daily basis and reported back to Turkish military headquarters through a secure channel, a confidential document has revealed.
According to a four-page document obtained by Nordic Monitor, the Turkish Land Forces unit stationed in Doha monitored on a daily basis developments in Qatar and sent reports back to Turkey. The report dated July 14, 2016 was signed by Maj. Murat Er and cleared by Lt. Col. Ali Çakan.
The report included excerpts from an interview with the French ambassador to Qatar, Eric Chevallier, who provided the number of French companies operating in the tiny Gulf state, the development of new oil prospects, a French school in Qatar and trade volume. The report also covered an agreement between Manchester Metropolitan University and Qatari authorities that envisaged sending police academy cadets to the UK for a language training course.
The commanders also asked headquarters to secure permission from Qatari officials to continue the work of establishing a permanent presence of Turkish troops in the Gulf state.
The daily routine of the troops stationed at the base such as training, drills and meetings were also reported. The communication was accomplished through a secure mobile command and communication module.
At the time of the report, the total number of troops in Qatar was reported to be 93, in addition to 16 officers and 20 noncommissioned officers. Turkey beefed up its presence at the base in December 2017 and plans to add naval and air force troops and assets to the Qatari base as well. The base has the capacity to accommodate 3,000 troops.
Turkish-Qatari joint military exercises have been held in both countries in recent years.
The anti-Qatar bloc led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates demanded that Qatar shut down the Turkish base.
The full text of the report is posted below:
