Probe launched as US soldier dies at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base

The United States Department of Defence has announced the death of a US soldier in a non-combat incident at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses American troops in Qatar.

In a statement released yesterday, the ministry indicated that 33-year-old Sergeant Felix Perez, from Houston, Texas, died on 3 November.

It added that it has initiated an investigation into the soldier’s death, describing it as “non-combat,” noting that the probe is ongoing.

Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar accommodates around 10,000 American soldiers, the majority of whom are stationed at the air base, while there is another military base known as Camp As Sayliyah or (As Sayliyah Army Base) and some affiliated facilities.

Al Udeid Air Base is considered the largest American military base in the Middle East, housing the headquarters of the Combined Air Operations Centre and the Special Operations Command. In 2009, it became a forward operating base for the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), whose area of responsibility extends from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa.

The construction of the base began in 1996 with $1 billion, with total funding having since reached $4 billion. The base absorbed the American military equipment that was transferred from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia following the US invasion of Iraq.

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