[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EQatar stands accused of supporting and funding the Nusra Front.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJay Solomon, \u201cU.S.-Qatar Alliance Strains Coalition Against Islamic State,\u201d Wall Street Journal, October 10, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/u-s-qatar-alliance-strains-coalition-against-islamic-state-1412983181\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/u-s-qatar-alliance-strains-coalition-against-islamic-state-1412983181\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E The Qatari government helped broker the release of 13 nuns kidnapped by the group in December 2013. It brokered the August 2014 release of American hostage Peter Theo Curtis, as well as the September 2014 release of 45 U.N. peacekeepers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOn the release of the 45 U.N. peacekeepers, Qatar\u2019s state-owned Al Jazeera called the peacekeepers \u201cFijian soldiers\u201d that were kidnapped and \u201cheld\u201d for two weeks by the Nusra Front. The article emphasizes that the peacekeeprs were reportedly in good condition and notes, \u201cA UN spokesman said in New York on Thursday no ransom had been requested for the Fijian peacekeepers and none was paid.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cSyria Rebels Free UN Peacekeepers,\u201d Al Jazeera, September 11, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/09\/syria-rebels-free-un-peacekeepers-201491175643793356.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/09\/syria-rebels-free-un-peacekeepers-201491175643793356.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENonetheless, rumors that Qatar paid the group a ransom fee soon circulated. Qatar\u2019s foreign minister denied the claims,\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EDaniel Bases, \u201cQatar\u0027s Foreign Minister Denies Paying Ransoms to Militant Groups,\u201d Reuters, September 29, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2014\/09\/30\/us-mideast-crisis-qatar-idUSKCN0HP02720140930\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2014\/09\/30\/us-mideast-crisis-qatar-idUSKCN0HP02720140930\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E but Israel\u2019s Channel 2 news station released video footage allegedly showing that Qatar paid the group $25 million in ransom.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cReport: UN Had Qatar Pay Off Al-Qaida Fighters for Release of Fiji Peacekeepers,\u201d Haaretz, October 11, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/news\/middle-east\/1.620228\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/news\/middle-east\/1.620228\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E \n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAl Jazeera did not cover any follow-ups to the story, including the Channel 2 report and the foreign minister\u2019s statement. The Al Jazeera article regarding the release of the peacekeepers ends by highlighting Qatar\u2019s seemingly helpful role in the hostage release process: \u201cUS officials have said that Qatar played a critical role in persuading the Nusra Front to free American journalist Peter Theo Curtis last month, whom the front had been holding hostage since 2012.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cSyria Rebels Free UN Peacekeepers,\u201d Al Jazeera, September 11, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/09\/syria-rebels-free-un-peacekeepers-201491175643793356.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/09\/syria-rebels-free-un-peacekeepers-201491175643793356.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Qatar and the Nusra Front"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]