Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is currently circulating a letter to the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter raising concerns that the US military relationship with Qatar allows them to play both sides. Qatar is becoming a terror-financing hub, Lamborn says in his letter.
In his letter to Carter, Lamborn says:
"We write to express deep concerns that America’s military footprint in Qatar may be enabling the Al Thani regime to offer up its territory as a fundraising center for terrorists around the region. The past few years have seen Qatar grow into a major hub for terrorist operatives and terrorism finance.
The Qatari government turns a blind eye to terrorist fundraising for Al Qaeda and Daesh by US-designated persons within its borders.
The Qatari government has also actively financed, advocated for, and – at least until recently – hosted the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, a relationship that Doha is only being compelled to reconsider after increased pressure from other Gulf States, not the United States.
Qatar is now known as the world’s safe haven for terrorist groups and militia leaders. These activities lead us to believe that it is time to reassess and reevaluate the US military alliance with Qatar.
Qatar professes a commitment and a role in the coalition against Daesh and other Islamist insurgents in the Middle East. However, its direct role in joint air operations against Daesh was minimal in terms of military impact. Further, evidence suggests that Qatar has directly armed or financed multiple Islamist groups in the region, undermining US objectives in pivotal countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Syria by pushing those places toward violent extremism.
At the same time, Qatar’s efforts to curb terror finance are woefully inadequate. Money from Qatar has been funneled to a number of terrorist groups including both Daesh and al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al Nusra. For instance, the Treasury Department indicated in September that a Qatar-based donor provided $2 million to Daesh’s “Amir of suicide bombers.” There is no indication that this individual has been punished by Qatar.
Another individual based in the country, Qatari national ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Nu’aymi, has been sanctioned for providing millions of dollars to al Qaeda affiliates in at least four different countries, but evidently he has yet to be prosecuted or arrested by Doha for his actions. Nu’aymi once provided the forerunner of Daesh, al Qaeda in Iraq, with $2 million a month; Doha’s refusal to convict and lock up a seed funder of Daesh casts doubt upon the Al Thani regime’s true beliefs about fighting terror.
Indeed, David Cohen, the US Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence recently noted that “there are US and U.N.-designated terrorist financers in Qatar that have not been acted against under Qatari law.” These include others beyond Nu’aymi or financial facilitators for Hamas. Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban have also found a safe haven in Qatar, from which they can safely coordinate radical activities and in some cases even terrorism in the region without interruption.
While some of these activities are done clandestinely, Qatar has not even attempted to hide its support of Hamas, an organization blacklisted by the United States. As Cohen noted in March, the Qatari regime “has for many years openly financed Hamas.”
Qatar has opened its doors to Hamas leadership that fled from Jordan and Syria and provides an unfettered media platform for terrorist leaders on Al Jazeera.
US reliance on Qatar’s support such as the Al Udeid base in Qatar has emboldened the Qataris to believe they can undermine and damage American interests and efforts in the region without consequence. America's strategic interests should not be undercut or held captive. Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and the UAE all have advanced bases which can support the same US aircraft and facilities, possibly making the need for such an extensive installation in Qatar redundant.
We ask that you develop a strategy to hold Qatar accountable for their support of terrorism, including a serious exploration of positioning some of our military assets with other allies in the region."