Qatar has summoned hundreds of citizens, including diplomats from abroad, to mandatory military service as security guards during the World Cup. This reports Reuters news agency based on a source and documents it has in its possession.
The deployment of conscripts, some of whom would generally receive a reprieve, shows how dire the need is in the Gulf state to host one of the largest sports tournaments in the world.
The documents show that they are trained to guide stadium queues, search fans and detect contraband such as alcohol, drugs or weapons.
Qatar has only 2.8 million inhabitants, of whom only 380,000 have Qatari nationality, and has already signed an agreement with Turkey to deploy 3,000 police officers from that country.
The civilians in question had to report to a military camp north of Doha at the beginning of September. They were told it was their “patriotic duty” to help. “Most are there because they have to; they don’t want to get in trouble,” the source told Reuters.
In response, a government official said Qatar’s national service program would continue as usual during the World Cup. Since 2014, Qatari men between the ages of 18 and 35 have been required to train with the military for at least four months as part of the conscription imposed by the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The World Cup starts on November 20.
