AL Jazeera News :
The US ambassador to Qatar has said she is leaving her post while the country experiences a major diplomatic crisis.
“This month, I end my 3 years as US Ambassador to Qatar. It has been the greatest honor of my life and I’ll miss this great country,”
Dana Shell Smith said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Shell Smith did not say why she was stepping down, if she was staying within the diplomatic service or who would replace her.
Many US ambassadors leave their posts after serving about three years.
Qatar ‘sympathisers’ in the Gulf threatened under cybercrimes laws
Her departure comes with Washington sending mixed signals over the Gulf crisis, which saw Saudi Arabia and several of its allies cut diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar claiming that Doha supported “extremist groups”.
Qatar strongly rejects the allegations.
US President Donald Trump has signalled his support for the Saudi-led move but other US officials have been more cautious and called for dialogue to end the crisis.
Qatar has hired a firm run by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as it works to push back against Trump’s claim that it provides support to “terrorist groups”.
Hours after the Saudi-led moves were announced against Qatar on June 5, Shell Smith took to Twitter to repost some of her previous statements praising Doha’s efforts in fighting “terrorism” financing and its role in countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group.
Shell Smith was appointed ambassador to Qatar by ex-President Barack Obama in 2014.
Last month she appeared to express dissatisfaction with political events back home in another message posted on social media.
She took to Twitter in the hours after Trump’s dramatic sacking of FBI director James Comey, tweeting: “Increasingly difficult to wake up overseas to news from home, knowing I will spend today explaining our democracy and institutions.”
Qatar is home to Al-Udeid, the largest US airbase in the region, which houses around 10,000 troops.
The US ambassador to Qatar has said she is leaving her post while the country experiences a major diplomatic crisis.
“This month, I end my 3 years as US Ambassador to Qatar. It has been the greatest honor of my life and I’ll miss this great country,”
Dana Shell Smith said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Shell Smith did not say why she was stepping down, if she was staying within the diplomatic service or who would replace her.
Many US ambassadors leave their posts after serving about three years.
Qatar ‘sympathisers’ in the Gulf threatened under cybercrimes laws
Her departure comes with Washington sending mixed signals over the Gulf crisis, which saw Saudi Arabia and several of its allies cut diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar claiming that Doha supported “extremist groups”.
Qatar strongly rejects the allegations.
US President Donald Trump has signalled his support for the Saudi-led move but other US officials have been more cautious and called for dialogue to end the crisis.
Qatar has hired a firm run by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as it works to push back against Trump’s claim that it provides support to “terrorist groups”.
Hours after the Saudi-led moves were announced against Qatar on June 5, Shell Smith took to Twitter to repost some of her previous statements praising Doha’s efforts in fighting “terrorism” financing and its role in countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group.
Shell Smith was appointed ambassador to Qatar by ex-President Barack Obama in 2014.
Last month she appeared to express dissatisfaction with political events back home in another message posted on social media.
She took to Twitter in the hours after Trump’s dramatic sacking of FBI director James Comey, tweeting: “Increasingly difficult to wake up overseas to news from home, knowing I will spend today explaining our democracy and institutions.”
Qatar is home to Al-Udeid, the largest US airbase in the region, which houses around 10,000 troops.
