Patriots in Turkey to be switched as part of routine rotation

ANKARA

DAILY NEWS photo

A Patriot missile battery stationed in the southeastern province of Gaziantep will be replaced as part of routine rotation procedures, the Turkish General Staff said today.
 
A U.S. ship carrying a new battery arrived at İskenderun Port on Nov. 10, while the new equipment and materials were dispatched to Gaziantep on Nov. 13, the announcement posted on the official website of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said, noting that the current Patriot missile battery would be sent back to the United States on Dec. 8.
 
“The staff and equipment of the Patriot missile batteries of the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands stationed in our country are subjected to rotation when needed,” the TSK announcement said.
 
Turkey, a NATO member, appealed to the alliance last year for the protection of its border from any threats from Syria. The Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. deployed Patriot missile batteries in the southern provinces of Adana and Kahramanmaraş, as well as Gaziantep, under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
 
Turkey asked for protection from its NATO allies after a mortar bomb fired from Syrian territory killed five Turkish civilians in the border town of Akçakale in October last year.
 
Originally used as an anti-aircraft missile, Patriots today are used to defend airspace by detecting and destroying incoming missiles. Patriots were deployed after NATO and Turkey signed an agreement on Jan. 12 this year. Turkey last week asked NATO to extend the deployment of Patriot missiles for another year.