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Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday the country signed a deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States for $12 billion.
The deal was completed despite the Gulf country being criticised recently by US President Donald Trump for supporting terrorism.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and representatives from Qatar were set to meet Wednesday to seal the agreement, a source familiar with the deal told Reuters. Bloomberg News reported the deal was for 36 jets.
The sale will increase security cooperation and interoperability between the US and Qatar, the Pentagon said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Mattis and Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid al-Attiyah also discussed the current state of operations against the ISIS and the importance of de-escalating tensions so all partners in the gulf region can focus on next steps in meeting common goals, the Pentagon added.
In November, the United States approved possible sale of up to 72 F-15QA aircraft to Qatar for $21.1bn. Boeing Co is the prime contractor on the fighter jet sale to the Middle East nation.
Boeing declined to comment.
Trump on Friday accused Qatar of being a "high-level" sponsor of terrorism, potentially hindering the US Department of State's efforts to ease heightening tensions and a blockade of the Gulf nation by Arab states and others.
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Comments (50) Closed
Jun 15, 2017 12:37pm
The jokes on Saudi Arabia.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:38pm
WAO.
Trump card working well. This is just the right way to get the nations dwell into inter-fight and sell your weaponry.
Shall we call US a RESPONSIBLE NATION...
History will note this with golden words.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:38pm
Awesome,
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Jun 15, 2017 12:39pm
US is grabbing money from gulf countries by both hands.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:41pm
If we still can't understand it.... I feel pity for both Arab countries now.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:42pm
US need to sell arms this is why all middle east crisis.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:43pm
US created all this to sell it arms and is successful. ME guys need to understand that each and every weapon bought will be used in ME only.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:46pm
Great trick from Trump. Make two neighbors fight, create an arms race and then mint money. Easy to spot when two foreign states are fighting. But what about two neighbors in subcontinent which can't spot how these foreigners are minting money from us for decades.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:50pm
Trump is smart. He is milking the fools.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:53pm
business. I think they should go for JF thunder
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Jun 15, 2017 12:55pm
..... and the winner is....... USA.
The sole business of US is to create conflicts and then sell bombs to make money.
Taiwan vs China, South Korea vs North, Arab vs Israel, Arab vs Iran, India vs Pakistan .... and the list goes on.
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Jun 15, 2017 12:58pm
@Umer "The jokes on Saudi Arabia.
"
Absolutely!
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Jun 15, 2017 01:03pm
You fight I win
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Jun 15, 2017 01:06pm
First tranche of 500 billion dollars have been paid !
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Jun 15, 2017 01:08pm
the gulf dispute is nothing more the eract belions of petro $ from rich gulf countries. just keep them on boiling and sell each other's billions of dollars weapons and get urself rich and keep fighting illiterate and egoistic countries fighting
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Jun 15, 2017 01:16pm
Monkey is taking full benefits of cats fight right, but wait a minute its actually gulf monarchy buying weapons for their sustainability.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:27pm
Beware.. India and Pakistan!
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Jun 15, 2017 01:37pm
Good, now the cat is out of the bag. Trump making money, by selling to both sides. Let the games begin.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:43pm
Stop the senseless comments guys.
Deal was done in November last year...when Trump was nowhere in the scene for presidency.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:44pm
Indian PM also going to US for signing f16 or f18 fighter jets will be produced in India thru make in India.Fighter jet business will be rocketed in forthcoming years in US.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:45pm
The problem with these weapons being sold left right and centre is that they tend to outlast their owners and have a life beyond the conflict that they were initially meant to be used for. That's what makes the world unsafe.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:48pm
This is not good. Western interests benefit from Arab infighting.
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Jun 15, 2017 01:55pm
Economics wins .Politics be damned !
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Jun 15, 2017 02:00pm
@Umer;
'The jokes on Saudi Arabia.'
No, the joke is on the people of Qatar who would pay $21 billion. That is about $8000 per head.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:07pm
Trump's garage sale .... oh wait, don't close. Another customer (Modi) is coming.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:10pm
Epic.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:17pm
Weather Totally Funny
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Jun 15, 2017 02:24pm
Saudi and its allies now should realize that Trump is more businessman than President of USA. He will defend Israel and destroy middle east. Trump will clean the kitties of all KINGS
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Jun 15, 2017 02:31pm
Divide and rule. Trump the businessman not world leader. GCC has to reflect what they are up to.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:34pm
Share your weaknesses. Share your hard moments. Share your real side. It'll either scare away every fake person in your life or it will inspire them to finally let go of that mirage called "perfection," which will open the doors to the most important relationships you'll ever be a part of. wise up that is the answer...
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Jun 15, 2017 02:35pm
So irrespective of US alliance, US makes money from both so called friends & foes!
Good joke!
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Jun 15, 2017 02:36pm
Should buy F-35 rather than F-15 there were F-16 F-22
F-15 are good only for practice.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:44pm
Once again, Donald Trump and his cronies are showing and confirming their doubles standards by signing a multi-billion dollar deal to supply these highly sophisticated F-15 fighter jets to a country they openly and publicly criticized less than six days ago for sponsoring and supporting terrorism.
Secondly, does the tiny State of Qatar actually need these military aircraft since by the time the jets will be at the cruising altitude after taking off from a Qatari airport, the official air-space of Qatar will cease to exist? What a silly joke?
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Jun 15, 2017 02:50pm
Trump proves to be a shrewd businessman. It's obvious world will suffer again for just good business.
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Jun 15, 2017 02:52pm
Wow. US creating rifts and wars between two brother and selling them US made weapons to solve it. Awesome policy.
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Jun 15, 2017 03:02pm
This is called realpolitik !
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Jun 15, 2017 03:09pm
I can only Laugh on this achievements
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Jun 15, 2017 03:19pm
Such a tiny tinpot nation is buying aircrafts for $12 billion! Laughable.
That nation is surrounded by people who speak same language, have same religious beliefs, eat the same, dress the same, look the same. In spite of such great wealth the Bedouin nature is still intact. Tribal instincts still intact- lack of trust of each other still intact.
I feel strange when Pakistani leader prostate before Arabs- remember you had Takshila when they were hunters on camel backs.
Your way of life was much advanced through Harappa and Mohenjo Daro when Arabs did not even know how to make cloth.
It feel sad when local Saudis call Miskeen.
Americans- the shrewdest businessmen and Russian and the Chinese- absolutely shrewd. All three made for each other- displaying a farce before the world so that others can go on a weapon buying spree. Between them they control all the world.
And Arabs- honestly this again proves that they will remain Bedouin tribes forever.
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Jun 15, 2017 03:30pm
@Shoaib I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time. It expands later, and thus we don't have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.
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Jun 15, 2017 03:45pm
@Shoaib 100% right
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Jun 15, 2017 04:14pm
Those where are complaining here about the business success of the US, they must understand the motto there is America First. That is the spirit of true nationalism. Others have to think about themselves. Nobody is forcing them not to. In a way they are also doing some of the same, may be for the wrong treasons.
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Jun 15, 2017 04:40pm
That is the bottom line for America in this crisis. How to find ways to sell more weapons. That happens when there is a crisis when people do not negotiate but depend on scaring tactics to resolve issues.
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Jun 15, 2017 04:41pm
@Shoaib they have done this several times before
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Jun 15, 2017 06:01pm
@Sam:
Even China is not getting them.
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Jun 15, 2017 08:40pm
Now hopefully everything will be settled.
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Jun 15, 2017 11:50pm
@deepak : Most hilarious !! Although I agree 100%
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Jun 17, 2017 08:50pm
Is there any land available to park these fighters in Qatar?
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Jun 17, 2017 09:58pm
Both KSA and Qatar royal family became fool and giving billions of dollars of public to US for crushing ordinary people in their vicinity rather spending this money over growth and well being of Arabian people. People are dying with hunger, poverty, lack of shelter, security etc and they are just waiting money over useless fights which can only serve interests of seller.
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Jun 18, 2017 07:08am
F-15 are obsolete, they they used to fly before F-16, even F-16 is 35 year old and getting obsolete.
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Jun 18, 2017 09:13am
@Kabir total $12 b,
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