Qatari prime minister holds talks in Doha with US CENTCOM chief

ISTANBUL

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met in Doha on Saturday with the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper.

A Foreign Ministry statement said talks between the two sides dwelt on ways to strengthen “the close strategic relations” between Qatar and the US, “particularly in the areas of military and defense cooperation, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.”

Cooper’s visit came days after an Israeli attack that targeted a residential compound housing Hamas leadership on Tuesday.

The attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, as the group was discussing a new deal proposed by the US to end the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 64,800 people since October 2023.

Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, has been a key mediator in negotiations to end the war.