Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah

Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah
Hamad Al Attiyah at the Pentagon, Oct 2015.
Nationality	Qatari
Occupation	Politician

Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah (Arabic: حمد بن علي العطية‎‎) is a Qatari politician who served as the State Minister for Defense.^[1] He oversaw the deployment of Qatari forces during the Libyan Civil War as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.^[2]

Career

Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah meeting with William Cohen in October 1998.

Al Attiyah has served as Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces since the 1990s.^[3] During the Libyan Civil War, which began in 2011, Al Attiyah revealed that Qatar had provided military and financial support to the Libyan rebels. He stated that "the numbers of Qataris on the ground were hundreds in every region".^[4]

In June 2013, shortly after the ascension of Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the throne, Al Attiyah was promoted to the State Minister for Defense.^[5] He signed a $11 billion arms deal with US Defense Minister Chuck Hagel in July 2014.^[6] As of 2015, he was president of the multi-sports club El Jaish SC.^[7]

References

1. "The Composition of the Council". General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
2. "A New Generation at the Helm". Qatar Today. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
3. "Archive - People - Secretary of Defense (1998)". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
4. Ian Black (26 October 2011). "Qatar admits sending hundreds of troops to support Libya rebels". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
5. "New Emir appoints female Cabinet member in Qatar government shake-up". Doha News. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
6. Simon Henderson (29 July 2014). "Qatar Is Taking A Huge Gamble With Its Involvement In The Israel-Hamas Crisis". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
7. "President Of Eljaish Club Honoured Qatar Cup Champions". El Jaish. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2015.