New Delhi, Oct. 11 -- When U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the federal government had reached an agreement with Qatar to construct a facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, backlash quickly surfaced on social media.

Critics expressed alarm at what they believed to be the establishment of a foreign military base on U.S. soil.

However, the planned facility is not a separate base. It will consist of buildings designed to support training and maintenance operations for Qatari military personnel.

Hegseth clarified on X, "The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today's announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft. However, to be clear, Qatar will not have their own base in the Unit...