Dissent in Qatari military against Turkish troop deployment

CAIRO – 11 June 2017: A large number of Qatari military personnel voiced their opposition to the Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s decision to allow foreign troops to enter the country, the Qatari opposition coalition announced in a statement on Sunday.

The coalition, formed by dissident members of the ruling Al-Thani family in a critical response to the recent diplomatic crisis, published a document signed by a number of Qatari military personnel expressing their disapproval of the decision.

Turkish soldiers will arrive in Doha on the pretext of protecting the Emir from any potential “revolutionary actions,” following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s approval of a bill on Friday permitting Ankara to deploy its troops, Reuters news agency reported.

Signatories to the document include high-profile Qatari military officers General Nasser bin Saad Al-Thani, Colonel Sultan Mansour Al-Subaie, Captain Fadel Khalid Al-Rahbi, Sergeant Mohammed Zakaria Hamad and other military personnel.

On Saturday, Secretary-General of the Qatari opposition coalition Sheikha Noof bint Ahmed al-Thani called for the removal of Emir Tamim bin Hamad due to the recent deterioration of the political situation in the Gulf country.

On her official twitter account, the secretary general published a statement signed by a number of Qatari army personnel calling for the assistance of the international community, represented by the United Nations and the Arab League, to remove the emir and try him for “his crimes of supporting terrorism.”

Earlier this week, several countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar over its alleged support of extremist groups across the Middle East region.