After it has been seeking US approval of a deal for the advanced armed Predator drones for more than a year, Qatar has voiced their frustration toward the Biden administration for allegedly slow-walking their request, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Qatar’s government formally requested to buy four-armed MQ-9B Predator drones, which cost an estimated $600 million, planning to use them for the natural gas facilities’ surveillance and to keep an eye on terrorists in the region, making Qatar a stronger defensive unit in its region that could help the US to prevent threats posed by Iran.
In a separate request, Qatar also expressed its wishes to buy American F-35 stealth fighters.
Qatari official told the Journal that they’re frustrated since there is no clear indication as to why there is a delay on their request since Qatar proved with the recent evacuation operations in Afghanistan that it’s always ready to support its allies for the purposes of security and stability.
Qatar is also lending its large air base, al-Udeid, to the US, that extensively use it for its operations in the region, including the Combined Air Operations Center, its nerve center for regional operations.
Citing the longstanding policy not to publicly comment on proposed defense sales/ transfers until Congress has been formally notified, the State Department, who oversees foreign military sales, declined to comment the issue.
The Qatari’s frustration is only increased by the fact that the State Department has approved similar requests from other allies like the United Arab Emirates.
The State Department’s data shows that Qatar, key ally during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan hosting evacuees and acting as an interlocutor with the Taliban, is the second-largest buyer of US military equipment through its foreign-military sales program.
It is expected for the issue to find itself near the top of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s agenda during his visit to the White House next month.
Some outside experts as well as US and Qatari officials, believe the Gulf countries will play a vital role for the US on confronting competition from China and helping it to preserve its influence in the Gulf region despite its military pullback, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
In an effort to align itself with US interests, Qatar rejected in 2018 China’s overtures for closer cooperation.
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