QATAR AT A GLANCE
According to news reports, troops from the oil-rich kingdom of Qatar engaged this week in their first ground combat action of the war. Last week, Qatar’s air force reportedly began conducting aerial raids against Iraqi targets in Kuwait with other allied forces.
Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council--along with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates--and is part of the council’s 10,000-member peninsular force in Saudi Arabia.
About 2,500 members of Qatar’s armed forces are participating in the coalition. QATAR ARMY About 6,000 active-duty personnel. Units include: 1--Royal Guard regiment 1--Tank battalion 3--Mechanized infantry battalions 1--Artillery battalion 1--Surface-to-air missile battery QATAR AIR FORCE Several hundred personnel. Units include: 1--Tactical support unit 1--Air defense fighter squadron 1--Transport squadron 2--Helicopter squadrons 1--Surface-to-air missile battery THE COUNTRY Population: 342,000 Ethnic Groups: Arab: 45% Pakistani: 15% Indian: 21% Iranian: 6% Geography: 4,247 square miles Religion: 95% Muslim
Other: Oil revenues give Qataris a per capita income of $27,000, among the highest in the world.
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