Turkish special unit starts its duty at World Cup

DOHA

Türkiye’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Team (CBRN) has started its duty at the World Cup against chemical and nuclear threats.

Upon the request of Qatar that allied countries contribute to the security of the organization with elements belonging to the armed forces, a joint task force was established with the participation of Türkiye, as well as the U.S., the U.K., Italy, France and Pakistan to contribute to the armed forces of Qatar.

The Joint Task Force is administered from the coordination center.

The CBRN defense team, deployed at the military base in Doha, the capital of Qatar, is on duty on a 24-hour basis to respond to all kinds of chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks with the equipment in its inventory.

The MİLGEM TCG Burgazada vessel, which is produced at domestic facilities, explosives discovery and disposal teams, bomb search and anti-drone teams are serving as part of the joint task.

The defense team consisting of many experts in their fields, is also working extensively on various scenarios prepared for measures to be taken in case of a possible emergency.

Türkiye’s parliament on Oct. 5 approved deploying Turkish soldiers to Qatar.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan requested parliamentary approval to deploy troops.

Fikri Işık, a ruling AKP legislator and former Turkish defense minister, said the deployment involved 250 troops.

In addition to the troops, some 3,000 riot police were sent to Qatar to reinforce security during the international football competition.

With a population of less than 3 million – of which just 380,000 are Qatari nationals – Qatar faces a shortage of personnel as it gears up for the month-long FIFA football tournament.