The agreement was signed by the head of the Pentagon James Mattis and the Minister of defence of Qatar Khali al-Attiyah, reports Al Jazeera.
Amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a number of its Gulf neighbors, the United States has agreed to sell $12 billion worth of American F-15 fighters to the country.
"This agreement underscores the longstanding commitment of the State of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the U.S.", a media quoted al-Attiyah as saying in the statement.
"The $12 billion sale will give Qatar a state of the art capability and increase security cooperation and interoperability between the USA and Qatar".
Al Attiyah noted that the signing of the agreement is "yet another step in advancing our strategic and co-operative defencse relationship with the United States and we look forward to continuing our joint military efforts with our partners here in the US".
President Trump visits wounded congressman in DC area hospital
Steve Scalise remains in critical condition at MedStar Washington Hospital after suffering gunshot wounds Wednesday morning. Representative Joe Barton of Texas told reporters that the gunman was a middle-aged man who appeared to be white.
Two U.S. Navy vessels arrived in Doha to take part in a joint military exercise with the Qatari Emiri Navy on Wednesday, Qatar news agency (QNA) reported.
The contract for 36 aircraft marks the first order from Qatar for US made combat jets and is not related to the present crisis.
The Pentagon last week renewed praise of Qatar for hosting a vital USA air base and for its "enduring commitment to regional security", after four Arab countries cut ties with the Gulf ally.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and several other countries broke off relations with Qatar, accusing him of supporting armed groups and Iran, Qatar accusations have been repeatedly rejected. Saudi Arabia has not only closed its land borders and barred flights from Qatar's airline but has joined its allies in pulling that nation's state backed and controlled media network, Al-Jazeera's operating licenses.
The Qatari Defense Ministry also issued a statement regarding the F-15 deal.





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