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U.S. Troops Arrive In Turkey To Man Patriot Missiles


The U.S. military says troops have begun arriving in NATO ally Turkey to man Patriot missile batteries against threats from neighboring Syria.

The U.S. European Command said on January 4 that American personnel and equipment had started arriving at Turkey's southern Incirlik Air Base.

The United States, Germany, and the Netherlands have agreed to deploy two Patriot surface-to-air batteries each to boost Turkey's air defenses.

More than 1,000 troops from the three nations are to be based in Turkey to operate the six battery units, which are scheduled to be operational by the end of January.

NATO says the U.S. batteries will be based at Gaziantep, some 50 kilometers north of Syria.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

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