Germany to remove troops and Patriot missiles from Turkey

The United States is withdrawing its Patriot missile system deployed near Turkey’s border with Syria when its mandate expires in October.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen introduced on the weekend that Berlin would let its three-year Patriot mission lapse in January as an alternative of in search of parliamentary approval to prolong it. The group doesn’t possess missiles.

The deployment was criticized by opposition parties in recent months for being costly and ineffective and media reports claimed the mission was using too numerous German army’s missile specialists.

“Together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners we have defended the Turkish people against possible missile attacks from Syria”, she said in the statement. Following Turkey’s request, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation foreign ministers agreed to send Patriots to Turkey in December 2012. The Dutch ended their mission earlier this year and were replaced by the Spanish.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation had deployed Patriots in Turkey during the Gulf War in 1991 and during the Iraqi War in 2003.

Originally used as an anti-aircraft missile, Patriots today are used to defend airspace by detecting and destroying incoming missiles.

Now 250 German soldiers are deployed. According to the survey, 48 percent of Germans want German troops to be withdrawn from Turkey soon due to recent clashes in the region, while only 35 percent of them oppose this move.

Germany s Patriot missile system is based in the Turkish town of Kahramanmaras, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border.

He said ISIS is poses a serious threat to Turkey’s borders, adding that the PKK has also launched attacks against Turkish security forces. Shells fired from Syrian territory frequently land in Turkey.