Alwaght- The US ambassador to Qatar announced she is departing her post amid a worsening diplomatic crisis precipitated by a Saudi-led bid to isolate Doha.
Dana Shell Smith on Tuesday said on Twitter that this month she will end her three-year stint as US ambassador to Qatar.
Shell Smith has recently written tweets that appeared critical of her boss, Donald Trump.
Trump last week appeared to back the anti-Qatar coalition — and even take partial credit for isolating Doha — but Shell Smith defended Qatari efforts to rein in terror financing following the diplomatic breakdown. Trump slammed Qatar despite the country being home to the largest American airbase in the West Asia region which houses around 10,000 troops.
Shell Smith also retweeted official State Department messages calling for a de-escalation of tensions. Following the president's abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey, Shell Smith wrote that it can be hard to explain US events to foreign listeners.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other nations cut ties and severed transportation links with Qatar last week, accusing the nation of supporting terrorism and allowing financing for extremist groups to flourish within its borders.
Smith is announcing her departure after the Emir of Qatar rejected an invitation by US president to visit the White House. In a statement, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani would not leave the country while it was "in blockade", and therefore could not attend an offered mediation by US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Meanwhile, Qatar has hired a firm run by former US Attorney General John Ashcroft as it works to push back against Trump's claim that it provides support to "terrorist groups".
