Qatar to Expand US Airbase as Defence Chief Visits DC

Visiting Washington DC, Qatar’s Defence Minister Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiyah said his country will expand the American airbase that currently houses about 10,000 US military personnel.
The expansion at the Al Udeid base – home of the US Central Command – will allow for 200 more housing units for officers and their families, Attiyah said.
“It will very soon become family oriented place for our American friends there. We want more of the families to be stable and feel more comfortable in their stay,” Attiyah said at an event held by the Heritage Foundation, a US-based think-thank.
Al Udeid serves as one of the most important overseas US military bases with operations through the Middle East launched from Qatar.
In the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1991, the United States and Qatar signed a military cooperation agreement that deepened defence.