US fighter jet deal, ship visit show military links to Qatar

FILE - In this Thursday Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, a traditional dhow floats in the Corniche Bay of Doha, Qatar, with tall buildings of the financial district in the background. Qatar says it has pulled all of its troops from the border of Djibouti and Eritrea, East African nations that have a long-running territorial dispute which Doha had helped mediate. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File) FILE - In this Thursday Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, a traditional dhow floats in the Corniche Bay of Doha, Qatar, with tall buildings of the financial district in the background. Qatar says it has pulled all of its troops from the border of Djibouti and Eritrea, East African nations that have a long-running territorial dispute which Doha had helped mediate. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)

By Associated Press June 15, 2017 1 min read

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – A deal between the United States and Qatar for F-15 fighter jets and a visit by two American warships to Doha are showing the vital military links Washington maintains to the country now at the center of a dispute with Arab nations.

Qatar has signed what it described as a $12 billion for the fighter jets. In November, the U.S. military announced a similar fighter jet deal for $21.1 billion. It’s unclear if they are the same deal.

Meanwhile, Cmdr. Bill Urban of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet told The Associated Press that the USS Chinook, a coastal patrol ship, and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Baranof both were in Doha for “a routine port visit” on Thursday.

Qatar is home to 10,000 American troops and a major U.S. military base.