Turkey and Qatar have created a joint squadron with fighter jets from the two countries in order to conduct joint operations, as announced during the recent visit to Doha by the head of the Turkish Air Force, Wing Commander Ziya Cemal Candioglu.
Wing Commander Candioglu visited the Dukhan Air Base, located 70 kilometers from the capital Doha, where he met with the Chief of the Qatar Air Force, Lieutenant General Jassim Mohammed Ahmad al-Manai.
According to information from the Turkish press, Turkey participates in the squadron with F-16 fighters, while Qatar with Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and F-15. With the establishment of the squadron last July, Turkey has sent six F-16 fighter jets to Qatar. The Qatar Air Force has 36 Rafale fighters in its arsenal.
Along with the arrival of the Turkish F-16 fighters, two Tuzla-class patrol ships of the Turkish Navy also arrived in Qatar at the end of July.
Since 2015, Turkey has maintained a military base in Qatar, the mission of which is to strengthen Qatar’s defense capabilities, develop and intensify military cooperation between the two countries, combat terrorism and international peacekeeping operations.
On 5 June 2017, following the expulsion of Qatar from the quartet of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, one of the conditions imposed on Qatar was the end of the Turkish military presence in Qatar. In response to an attempt by Saudi Arabian military forces to blockade Qatar, Turkish soldiers intervened, receiving authorization to intervene from an emergency military deployment resolution passed by the Turkish National Assembly.
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