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NATO Confirms Syria's Use Of Scud Missiles


Patriot missile batteries
Patriot missile batteries
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the Syrian military is continuing to fire Scud-type missiles against antigovernment forces.

Rasmussen said the use of the medium-range rockets showed that NATO was justified in deciding to deploy several batteries of Patriot antimissile systems in neighboring Turkey.

NATO sources say Scud launches were detected on the morning of December 20.

A week ago, U.S. and NATO officials said the Syrian military had used the ground-to-ground rockets for the first time in the nearly two-year conflict.

Damascus denied the claim.

Syria is reported to have an array missiles, some capable of carrying chemical warheads.

These include Soviet-built SS-21 Scarabs and Scud-B missiles, originally designed to deliver nuclear warheads.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters

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