QatarÂ’s government has approved a draft law making it compulsory for men to do military service for up to four months, media reports said on Thursday.
| Four months? Someone who is or has been in a western military will have to educate me on this, but I don't think you get much of a soldier in four months... |
Under the proposed legislation, the first of its kind in Qatar, it would be compulsory for men aged between 18 and 35 to serve in the military for three months if they are graduates, and four if they are not.
The cabinet adopted the bill on Wednesday before submitting it to the Majlis al-Shura, or consultative council.
The move was aimed at mobilising Qataris for the defence of the country and to ensure “a regular force” that would be backed up by poorly trained reservists, if necessary, the official QNA news agency reported.
A Qatari official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said “the aim of the military service is to get young Qataris to rely on themselves,” and that four months was enough.
| Enough to rely on themselves for what? |
The armed forces of Qatar, which sits on the worldÂ’s third largest natural gas reserves, are made up of 11,800 servicemen, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
In Kuwait, parliament is debating a bill for the restoration of compulsory military service, cancelled after the Iraqi army invaded the emirate in 1990 and occupied it for seven months.
| Here's hoping al-Maliki doesn't decide to invade them... |
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