The Combined Air and Space Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, provides command and control of air power throughout Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and 17 other nations. Joshua Strang/Air Force)For the tiny, oil rich nation of Qatar, Al Udeid Air Base, home to more than 10,000 U.S. service members, has long been something of an insurance policy. Now the Qataris, at odds with their neighbors and under fire from President Trump on Twitter, are anxiously waiting to see if that policy pays off. Despite the tough rhetoric, U.S. military officials said that planes continued to take off from Al Udeid in support of U.S. military operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Qatar is the only country in the region that allows us to land B-52s, and put B-52s at their base at Al Udeid.

Source: Washington Post June 06, 2017 20:14 UTC