US to sell Qatar $12 billion worth of F-15 fighters

Amid the continuing blockade of Qatar by its neighbors, the Gulf state on Wednesday signed an agreement with the US to purchase $12 billion worth of F-15QA fighters. A Pentagon spokesman said the deal had been signed during a meeting between Defense Secretary James Mattis and his Qatari counterpart Khalid al-Attiyah. Reports said 36 warplanes are to be provided by Boeing. The agreement came despite the ongoing diplomatic crisis and President Donald Trump's statement last week that Qatar is a "high-level" sponsor of terrorism. Qatar's Al Udeid airbase, home to about 10,000 U.S. troops, plays a major role in the US-led campaign against ISIS.