His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday attended the 2019 National Day Parade that draped Doha Corniche in national colours and showcased the military might of the country.
His Highness the Father Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness the Amir's Personal Representative His Highness Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al-Thani and a large number of ministers and other dignitaries were present.
The parade was also attended by HE the Shura Council Speaker, Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, and a number of the members of the Shura Council, in addition to a number of dignitaries, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and commander of US Air Forces Central Command, Lieutenant General, Joseph Guastella.
The parade that lasted for over an hour started at 9.30am in the presence of a large number of people who had assembled at the venue from early morning. The members of the crowd who were waiting patiently to witness the parade, were waving the national flag enthusiastically. As His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Father Amir arrived, they were greeted by colourfully dressed girls and boys.
A huge flower bed arranged beautifully in the colours of the National Flag in front of the parade venue was another attraction and was a great treat to watch.
After the national anthem and the firing of the cannons, the parade started with horsemen and camels, leading to an air show, displaying the country’s very modern and advanced military aircraft.
The air show included the display of several types of aircraft including, Rafale; Apache helicopters; F-15 warplanes and Typhoon multirole fighters in addition to other military helicopters as well as transport and cargo aircraft, according to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA). The aircraft, especially six jets in different patterns, moved around the sky, emitting wisps of smoke in maroon and other colours.
The air show was followed by the parade of the Armed Forces infantry, holding a large national flag. It was followed by the air forces; land force; naval force; armoured personnel carriers; special forces; military police; support forces; the Amiri Guard and armoured vehicles.
Thereafter the teams of the Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence started their show with a line of facilities security vehicles; women police, rescue police department (Al Fazaa), Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), followed by a show of the armed forces' armoured vehicles, tanks, air defence systems, military police vehicles, anti-terrorism vehicles, military communications systems and electronic warfare in addition to a naval show featuring Amiri naval forces, warships and speed boats.
The show concluded with a parade of children dressed in Amiri Guard uniform. After the parade, His Highness the Amir walked onto the Corniche road and waved at the cheering crowd and shook hands with many.
All units of the land, air, and navy armed forces, the Amiri Guard forces, and the Lekhwiya participated in the national parade, in addition to members of the Ministry of Interior from the civil defence force, coast guard, borders guard, traffic police, members of the Police College and National Service Recruits.
