For some countries, it is the first time their security personnel will be dispatched to assist in a major event abroad.
Turkey is 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 on Wednesday.
“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”.
The Turkish Armed Forces have been carrying out CBRN duties since 1930.
Highlighting the five main components of CBRN, Cabuk said: “The first is detection and diagnosis.
“In other words, you have been exposed to a chemical agent or biological warfare agent, where you first need to detect and diagnose. After correct detection, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents must be removed from the human body, objects and the environment.”
“We continue our training both at home and abroad,” he added. In this scope, the entity trains various domestic firefighters, municipalities and universities abroad.
“We will train the fire department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nigeria. We trained the Libyan team last week.”
Turkey’s security efforts during the World Cup
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.
In December, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said his country will temporarily send 3,250 security officers to Qatar for the sporting event.
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.
Other security assistance during the World Cup
As the Gulf country seals its final touch ribbon on Middle East’s first World Cup, it has also partnered with various countries to help maintain the security of the event.
South Korea’s army is set to dispatch five police officers specialising in counter-terrorism to Qatar to exchange security expertise as part of efforts to secure the FIFA World Cup 2022, Seoul’s news agency reported last week.
The designated officers will be passing on their expertise on law enforcement, security, close combat, and arrest techniques to the Qatari police until October. This will also be the first time South Korea’s military police dispatches its personnel abroad.
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 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.
Morocco has also reportedly agreed to deploy a team of cybersecurity experts to Qatar ahead of the World Cup, Rabat-based media said.
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.
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 UK.
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.
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.
