Strabane man caught up in frightening attack on US military base

A STRABANE man living in Qatar has described the tense atmosphere in Doha following an Iranian missile attack on a nearby US military base over the weekend.

Colin Kelly, who has lived in the Qatari capital for several years, was among thousands caught up in the fallout of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The missile strike on the Al-Udeid military base came in response to US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Fortunately, there were no casualties, as the base had been evacuated following advance warnings.

Speaking about the experience, Colin said, “I live in a different section of the city called Ferej bin Mahmood, but the bangs could be heard all across Doha and it was quite a scary moment.

“A colleague of mine lives closer and reported that his house shook with the impact.”

He continued, “Apparently, the Iranian government fired six missiles in what is called an ‘honour response’ to the six that were fired at them by the US. All were intercepted by defence systems, so there were no casualties.”

Colin added that the Qatari authorities had urged residents to follow guidance from their respective embassies.

“We still await a full official response,” Colin said.

In the immediate aftermath of the strike, airspaces in Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait were temporarily closed but has since reopened.

When asked about restrictions in Doha following the attack, Colin explained, “Life has just gone on as normal, although schools and shopping malls were closed today (Tuesday) as a precaution. I’ve asked the team I manage through work to stay at home too, just to be on the safe side.”

Despite the return to normality, he acknowledged that the threat hasn’t entirely disappeared.

“I’m happy here for now, but I would consider leaving Qatar for a bit if attacks on the base and in the wider region escalate.”

Although a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding as of Wednesday, Colin said people remain wary.

“People are still a bit rattled, as you’d expect, but have taken heart that there were no casualties despite the scale of the attack. Life has gone back to normal with flights resuming due to the reopening of airspaces.

“There’s an air of caution over whether the ceasefire will hold in the long-term, but for now, the people in Doha have an attitude of ‘let’s see what happens’.”