Qatar sent forces to protect Erdogan after coup attempt

A document attributed to the Qatari Embassy in Ankara claimed that Doha sent Special Forces to protect Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the failed coup attempt on July 15 last year upon his request.

The document, which was signed by Qatari Ambassador in Ankara Salem Bin Mubarak Al-Shafi, claimed that Erdogan sent a letter a day after the failed coup to the Qatari Embassy in Ankara asking it to send Special Forces to protect him and prevent any assassination attempts against his life.

According to the document, the Qatari government sent 150 members of its own troops to Ankara’s military airport aboard private aircrafts.

The Qatari Special Forces secretly left on 19 July, four days after the failed coup attempt, the document claims.

The Qatari Embassy confirmed that the “Special Forces sent to Ankara played an important role in guarding President Erdogan’s life” noting that “this cooperation encourages relations between the two countries”.