Ryan Bachoo
Lead Editor - Newsgathering
ryan.bachoo@cnc3.co.tt
Trinidad and Tobago national Adrian Sookhan was preparing to meet some trainees where he works in Doha, Qatar, around 8 pm yesterday, when he heard three loud bangs.
The noise he heard was inceptors staving off a missile attack from Iran on United States airbases in the country.
Sookhan, along with several other T&T nationals, work in the energy sector in Qatar.
Many of them who live there did not want to speak to Guardian Media yesterday, as Qatar has strict rules that govern the country and sharing the images and videos of Iran’s attempted attack was prohibited.
Speaking yesterday not long after the attempted attacks, Sookhan, who has been living and working in Qatar for the last eight years, said, “A lot of things were going through my mind. I guess this is what people who live in war areas usually go through. It’s like many things are going through my mind, like what’s going to happen? My family, everything.”
Sookhan said earlier yesterday, there were reports the country could expect an attack from Iran and an hour before the strikes, the Qatari government closed its airspace.
“We took precautions and most of us stayed at home in case of something like this happening. Everyone’s emotions are high,” Sookhan added.
As the news of Iran’s strikes made international headlines, friends and family from this country started to reach out to Sookhan and other T&T nationals in Qatar.
He works in the oil and gas sector in an intergovernmental organisation called Gas Exporting Countries Forum. T&T is a member of the organisation.
Sookhan said coming from the Caribbean, he had never seen anything like the missile attacks until now.
He added, “Since the war started, it was okay for us because one thing with Qatar, they share good relations with both Iran and the US. It was fine until last week when the attacks happened.”
The Qatari government was expected to issue a statement last night to guide citizens and residents on how to proceed with their day, today.
There are no immediate plans for Sookhan or his fellow Trinbagonians to evacuate Doha in light of the attempted attacks by Iran.
He confirmed to his family and the people of T&T that they are safe at the moment.
Meanwhile, the general secretary of the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA) issued a statement calling for peace and mediation in the Middle East amid an escalation of violence.
He urged all T&T nationals to put their safety first and evacuate if they feel they are in danger.
The Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs also released a statement “strongly encouraging” T&T nationals in the Middle East to undertake precautionary actions.
Those measures include remaining vigilant and staying informed by monitoring credible news sources and official advisories, registering with the Ministry’s Registration System for Nationals Abroad, ensuring that all travel documents are valid and up to date, complying fully with safety and security directives issued by local authorities, ascertaining the location of the nearest emergency shelter in the event of intensifying hostilities and formulating contingency plans for departure, particularly where personal safety may be at risk.