Turkey to send 3,000 police to Qatar to help secure WC

ANKARA, Sept 23 (Reuters): Turkey will send more than 3,000 riot police to Qatar to help secure World Cup stadiums and hotels in a security operation paid for by the competition hosts but under Turkish command, a Turkish Interior Ministry source said.

With a population of less than 3 million - of which just 380,000 are Qatari nationals - Qatar faces a shortage of personnel as it gears up for the month-long FIFA soccer tournament.

It has turned to Turkey, its closest regional ally, to secure the competition which is expected to attract an unprecedented 1.2 million visitors to the small but wealthy gas-exporting Gulf state.