August 5 – France has become the latest country that will deploy security personnel during the World Cup in Qatar to help safeguard the global sporting event.
On Thursday, the French parliament ratified the partnership between France and Qatar that will see the French send at least 220 experts in the fight against drones, explosives and hooliganism to Doha in November and December.
“Our role (with this agreement) is not to take the defence of Qatar or to put it on trial, but to promote the interests of France and to ensure the protection of visitors,” said Amélia Lakrafi.
The government opposition however lambasted the decision, pointing at the hosts’ human rights record as well as the ecological impact.
The French are the latest in a long line of countries and organisations – including the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – that will provide resources to bolster security at football’s quadrennial high mass.
“We are committed to working closely with Qatar to make sure the world can enjoy a safe and secure World Cup,” said Rob Silvers, the undersecretary for strategy, police and plans at DHS in an interview with ABC last month.
“We are going to be providing security support to our partner and we’re going to be doing that in a range of ways.”
In June, NATO said that “as part of the close cooperation between the State of Qatar, it “will provide support for the security aspects of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup” which included training against threats posed by Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) materials.
In January, Turkey said that it will deploy 3,250 security personnel during the competition, including 3,000 riot police officers, 100 special forces, 50 bomb detection dogs and their handlers, and 50 bomb experts.
Britain’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will also assist the hosts in the fight against terrorism, policing the skies.
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