US to withdraw patriots from Turkey

The United States will withdraw its Patriot missile system near Turkey’s border with Syria when the mission’s mandate ends in October, officials said Sunday, citing a review of global defense posture as grounds for the decision.

The Patriot missiles “will be redeployed to the United States for critical modernization upgrades”, according to a statement from the U.S. embassy in Turkey.

U.S. Navy multi-role Aegis ships will continue to be present in the eastern Mediterranean, the two governments said.

Several German newspapers claimed over the weekend that Germany had demonstrated its uneasiness over recent Turkish military operations against the PKK by withdrawing its Patriot system.

It also emphasized that Washington remains committed to “support Turkey’s air defense capabilities, including against ballistic missile risks and threats”.

The United States, Germany, and other countries deployed air-defense units to fellow North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member Turkey in 2013 in response to shells fired from neighboring war-torn Syria that landed in the country.

“Along with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners, we have protected the Turkish people from missile attacks from Syria”, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was quoted as saying in the statement. “Our Patriot missiles have successfully carried out their mission”. The U.S. and Turkey, one of its oldest if fraught alliances in the region, are focused on stopping the spread of jihadist militants in conflict-ridden Syria and Iraq.

The agreement comes as Turkey is considering whether to buy a missile defense system from China or from the U.S. The Dutch ended their mission earlier this year and were replaced by the Spanish.

The deployment of the U.S.’ Patriot batteries, which have been in place since 2013, is set to expire in October.

U.S. officials have said they also are considering deploying combat search-and-rescue aircraft and personnel to Turkey, now that the F-16s are flying, and Turkey and the U.S. are in talks on how to integrate Turkish warplanes into the U.S.-led air campaign. “Therefore, we will remain engaged in the region in a continued effort to stabilize it”.