Qatari security personnel, in collaboration with partners from 13 nations, conducted a five-day security exercise around the country for Fifa World Cup 2022 security.
To ensure a smooth World Cup, Qatar is set to deploy tens of thousands of security personnel.
The host country has inked a number of security cooperation agreements with several countries. During the competition, which runs from November 20 to December 18, more than 1.2 million fans are anticipated to visit Qatar.
Qatari security personnel, in collaboration with partners from 13 nations, conducted a five-day security exercise around the country. The drills were designed to evaluate the emergency services’ readiness and reactivity, according to The Peninsula, a local newspaper.
According to the tournament’s security committee, the Watan (which translates to country in Arabic) exercises involved 32,000 government security officials and 17,000 private security professionals.
Which countries are assisting?
Turkey has previously stated that it will send around 3,000 riot police officers to assist in the security of stadiums and hotels. Turkey will also send 100 special operations police officers, 50 bomb disposal experts, and 80 sniffer dogs, according to the statement.
Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister, stated in January that Turkey had also trained 677 Qatari security professionals in 38 different professional fields, without going into detail.
Pakistan decided to send troops to Qatar to ensure security during the event in August. According to the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, the troops arrived in Doha earlier this month.
The French parliament also approved the deployment of approximately 220 security forces to the Gulf state for the event that month. According to the French interior ministry, the deployment will safeguard the safety of fans, including French nationals.
According to the Qatar News Agency, Qatar has also signed a security cooperation deal with Morocco. Moroccan news agencies stated last year that Rabat will send cybersecurity experts to Qatar during the tournament.
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence stated in May that it will assist Doha in providing a “safe” and “secure” World Cup.
The ministry stated that it will provide Qatar with military support to tackle “terrorism” and other threats to the football matches. The Royal Navy will provide marine security support, advanced venue search training, operational planning and command and control support, and further professional advise, according to the ministry.
Qatar has reportedly agreed to collaborate on “technical arrangements” with the US Department of Defense during the competition.
“The technical arrangements aim to identify and put in place responsibilities connected to collaboration between the two sides, as well as the US armed forces’ role to providing support for the FIFA 2022 World Cup event,” Qatar’s defence ministry said earlier this month in a statement.
Based in the United Arab Emirates Former Jordanian troops were also given World Cup employment earlier this year, according to The National.
As the World Cup approaches, heightened security-related operations may be seen on Qatar’s streets. To monitor security camera footage from all eight World Cup venues, a central command center has been established.
