US to deploy Patriot missiles,troops to Turkey: Report

[pm modi]

Dec 14, 2012, 12.56PM IST AFP
WASHINGTON: The United States
plans to send two rocket-
intercepting Patriot missile
batteries and 400 military
personnel to Turkey to deter
Syrian attacks, the New York
Times reported on Friday.
The Times said the move is part
of a larger effort to beef up
Turkey's defences as the civil
war in neighboring Syria grows
more violent, with another four
Patriot batteries expected to be
supplied by Germany and the
Netherlands.
The report comes after US
officials said Syria launched a
number of Scud missiles in
recent days, and amid
heightened fears that it could
resort to using its vast chemical
weapons arsenal against
advancing rebels.
Turkey has strongly backed the
21-month-old rebellion against
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
but fears he could lash out
against it in desperation if the
conflict grinds on.
US officials could not
immediately be reached to
comment on the Times report.
US to deploy Patriot missiles, troops to Turkey: Report - The Times of India