Turkish task force for Qatar World Cup returns home after 3 months

Turkish security forces, who provided assistance to Qatar during World Cup 2022, returned home on Thursday.

Some 2,242 staff working for the Turkish Police and the Health Ministry were welcomed in a ceremony at the Esenboğa Airport in the capital Ankara.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Turkish Police Security Department Chief and the General-Director of the Turkish Police Task Force in Qatar Cüneyt Ünal said that the staff completed their three-month task period with discipline.

Ünal noted that no incidents took place during the World Cup, thanks to the preventive and deterrent security precautions taken by the Turkish police.

“The Qatar World Cup operation has been completed with success,” Ünal proudly added.

A general-coordinator, 20 advisor police chiefs, 2,000 riot police officers, 30 police horses, a blacksmith, a veterinary, 70 bomb experts, 10 coordination staff and 20 translators went to Qatar as part of the task force.

The staff were on duty in various places, including the 40,000 capacity-fanfest area, eight stadiums, the hotels accommodating national teams, as well as their training areas, ticket sales centers and accreditation centers.

With a population of less than 3 million – of which just 380,000 are Qatari nationals – Qatar faced a shortage of personnel for the monthlong FIFA football tournament.

It turned to Türkiye, its closest regional ally, to secure the competition, which attracted an unprecedented 1.2 million visitors to the small but wealthy gas-exporting Gulf state.