World Cup 2022: Moroccan troops to be sent to Qatar

As the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18, Qatar will utilise  conscripts to bolster its security forces, an official stated on Tuesday. Men from other nations, notably Morocco, will also arrive.

As more than a million visitors are anticipated during the event, the small Gulf emirate will rely on both its own police force and army as well as on international security forces and private security firms to keep order.

All Qatari men between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the army for four months as of 2014. In a recent interview, the measure’s initiator, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, stated that he was thinking about applying it to women.

The military service of men in important civilian positions can be postponed, although some have received calls for the 2022 World Cup.

A government official spoke to AFP under the condition of anonymity and said, “Qatar’s national service program will continue as normal during the World Cup.”

“Recruits performing their mandatory service will be temporarily supported by a small number of conscripts,” he added, explaining that this is a common practice in Qatar for major events.

Conscripts were also in high demand when Qatar hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2019 and the Arab Football Cup, a rematch of the World Cup, last year.

Qatar has over 50,000 soldiers and police officers, but it will also use thousands of security guards in stadiums and foreign forces to patrol its streets.

During the World Cup, Pakistan and Morocco are expected to send troops, and Turkey has committed to send 3,200 police to the emirate.