The US has reached an agreement to extend its military presence at a large base in Qatar for another 10 years, three US defense officials and another told CNN.
The deal - not yet made public - highlights Washington's dependence on the small Gulf state that has recently acted as an intermediary in releasing Americans detained in Gaza and Venezuela.
Al Udeid Air Force Station, located in the southwestern desert of Doha, is the largest US military base in the Middle East and can hold more than 10,000 US soldiers.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Al Udeid last month and thanked Qatar for raising spending on the base. But he did not mention an extension and the Biden administration was not public - at a time when Qatar is increasingly under close scrutiny over welcoming senior Hamas leaders.
The base has been a key hub for US Central Command (CENTCOM) air operations in or around Afghanistan, Iran and across the Middle East. The Qatar and British Air Forces also operate from this base.
The extension comes as the US increases its presence in the region amid escalating threats from Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
After Hamas kidnapped about 240 hostages from Israel on October 7, 2023, Qatar was the main intermediary country with Hamas to broker the release of a series of Israeli and international hostages. Qatar continues to be the focus of negotiations to try to restore discussions on hostages, coordinating with the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, as well as Egypt.
Qatar's role in negotiations over the rights to US citizens detained by Venezuela has been less publicized but brought to light after President Nicolas Putin released 10 Americans last month in exchange for a close ally accused by the US of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars.
Qatar's participation in both rounds of talks is seen as an extension of the mediation role it has played against other US friends, including Iran and the Taliban. Analysts said that abundant oil and natural gas resources, along with the ability to act as a coordinator, allow Qatar to surpass its strength.
Although Qatar's reception of Hamas leaders is no secret, the cruelty of Hamas' October 7 attack in Israel has fueled criticism of Qatar and called for it to deport Hamas.
Thousands of Afghanistanese have flown from Kabul to Al Udeid as part of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The US military has struggled to provide the huge flow of refugees, what Mr. Biden called "one of the largest and most difficult aerial campaigns in history".
Qatar has pledged billions of dollars to upgrade facilities for US pilots at the base. Al Udeid became CENTCOM's main air base in 2003, transferring forces and assets from Prince Sultan Air Force Station in Saudi Arabia - where the presence of a large number of US soldiers became more sensitive and controversial.
Although Secretary Austin did not announce an extension of the Al Udeid deal during this base visit last month, he said that the US and Qatar "will take further steps to officially expand and strengthen bilateral defense relations".
We will do this through Qatars commitment to contributing significant resources to capacity building at Al Udeid Air Force Base, he added. We will do so through Qatars commitment to contribute significant resources to capacity building at Al Udeid Air Force Station, which will support both of our forces for many years to come.
