A date for the vote on the additional Turkish troops has not yet been announced.

Turkey plans to send additional number of soldiers and policemen to help boost security during the upcoming World Cup 2022 in November.

The administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally requested parliament’s approval on Saturday to send an “unspecified” number of extra troops to Qatar for a period of six months.

Based on a 2021 agreement, Turkey can send about 250 personnel there and already has an army base in the Gulf country.

A date for the vote on the additional Turkish troops has not yet been announced. The resolution is likely to be approved due to the ruling party and its nationalist ally ‘commanding a majority’ in the Turkish assembly, reports said.

The Turkish government said in its motion that the Turkish soldiers will work alongside security reinforcements from the US, France, Britain, Italy, and Pakistan in a mission known as the “World Cup Shield Operation.”

According to the statement, the force will protect Qatar, its airspace, and its territorial waters against “terrorism and other threats.”

The Qatari and Turkish interior ministries had previously signed an agreement to join efforts in organising the much anticipated major event. One such effort includes Turkey’s participation in the security organisation of the World Cup 2022.

Turkey’s security efforts during the World Cup

In December, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said his country will temporarily send 3,250 security officers to Qatar for the sporting event.

Approved in January, those to be deployed during the tournament include 3,000 riot police officers, 100 Turkish special forces, 50 bomb detection dogs and their operators, 50 bomb experts and other staff – all of whom will be on duty for some 45 days.

Soylu also added that Ankara has also trained 677 Qatari security personnel in 38 different professional areas, without providing further details on the specificities, according to Al Jazeera.

Turkey is also set to deploy chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN) personnel during the World Cup in Qatar in November, the head of Turkey’s CBRN announced in July.

“We will support the CBRN defence in Qatar through the Turkish Armed Forces Command. We will take part in the CBRN defence in Qatar,” said Burcak Cabuk.

“We are working on the development of products against biological warfare agents”.

Other security assistance during the World Cup

As the Gulf country seals its final touch ribbon on the Middle East’s first World Cup, it has partnered with various countries beyond Turkey to help maintain the security of the major event.

Qatar and Morocco signed a major declaration on boosting bilateral security cooperation during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, beIN Sports reported on Sunday.

Under the joint agreement, the two countries would ensure the safety and security of World Cup spectators, with at least 1.5 million fans expected to head to Qatar for the event.

Morocco has also reportedly agreed to deploy a team of cybersecurity experts to Qatar ahead of the World Cup, Rabat-based media said late May.

According to the report by Morocco World News, Doha had requested Rabat’s assistance in securing the major sporting event as part of its efforts to expand the two countries’ security cooperation.

The defence ministries of Italy and Qatar also inked technical agreements in early September on defence cooperation in preparation the upcoming tournament in November.

The ceremony for signing the agreement was hosted in the Italian capital, and comes within the scope of ongoing cooperation deals between Doha and defence ministries of nations taking part in the tournament to secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

As Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar as part of a two-day trip earlier this year, his cabinet ratified a draft agreement in late August that permitted the South Asian government to provide troops for security at the Qatar World Cup.

South Korea’s army also dispatched five police officers specialising in counter-terrorism to Qatar to exchange security expertise as part of efforts to secure the World Cup, Seoul’s news agency reported in July.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also signed collaborative partnership agreements with Qatar early July in an effort to boost security during the major tournament in November. 

Under a Joint Security Program, DHS and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior will partner to “identify air passengers linked to terrorism, trafficking, detecting watchlisted travellers, and monitoring potential security risks at Hamad International Airport,” DHS explained in a joint statement.

Separately, NATO also confirmed in late June it will assist Qatar in security measures during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as part of the bloc’s close cooperation with Doha.

“The support will include training against threats posed by Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) materials, which will be delivered by Slovakia and NATO’s Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence in the Czech Republic,” the North Atlantic alliance explained in a statement.

The security support will also entail training offered by Romania for the protection of very important people (VIPs) as well as to deter threats posed by improvised explosive devices.

“A first training session dealing with Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats was conducted this past May in Slovakia,” it added.

Away from the region, Britain’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy is set to provide counter-terror policing during the competition, Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom announced in late May.

Britain and Qatar will “join forces to provide air policing in the skies,” said Wallace in an official statement.

It is the first time Britain has provided this level of security for a World Cup held outside the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Defence will support Qatar with military capabilities to counter terrorism and other threats to the tournament through maritime security, operational planning, and command and control support, according to a defence source told The Telegraph in late May.

The Gulf country received its first Typhoon aircraft from the UK in August.

In January this year, members of Qatar’s police forces met with the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Transit Bureau team in the US to exchange expertise over safety and security best practices during major events.

In December, France agreed to send personnel and material to the Gulf state, including a BASSALT anti-drone system that detects and identifies incoming drones.

France also said it will be sending one of its Air Force’s four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), which can track hundreds of targets.