Turkish legislators approved a motion on sending troops to Qatar to provide security assistance during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Upon request from Qatar, a motion was submitted to Parliament on Saturday to deploy soldiers in the country for six months to provide security during the football tournament in November.

Operation World Cup Shield aims to take necessary measures against various threats, especially terrorism, which may affect the security of the organization, said the memorandum.

It also stated that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) elements to be deployed as part of the task will be under national command throughout the entire assignment.

In addition to Türkiye, the United States, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Pakistan will also provide military support to contribute to Qatar's security during the tournament.

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

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

Türkiye, which has a military base in Qatar, stood by its ally when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) boycotted Doha in 2017 – cutting all diplomatic and transport links with their neighbor in a dispute over allegations that it supported terrorism and was cozying up to their foe Iran.