Deployment of Patriots Starts in Turkey

Deployment of the Patriot air defense system started in Turkey’s southern Kahramanmaras province on Wednesday, Anatolia news agency reported.

The system has been transferred from Iskenderun Port of Hatay province in southern Turkey to Kahramanmaras piece by piece for the last two days, the report said.

Meantime, German soldiers are arranging military and technical organization of the materials, the report added.

German soldiers started to install the Patriot system earlier Wednesday, with Radar and missile launchers installed in upper part of Gazi Barracks in Kahramanmaras, according to the report.

Dutch ship “Louise Russ” left Iskenderun Port after it unloaded the Patriot system on Tuesday.

Patriot air defense system parts were carried from the Netherlands and Germany to Turkey’s Iskenderun Port and the pieces have been transferred from the port to Kahramanmaras and Adana provinces.

A total of 130 containers and 300 military vehicles were transferred from Germany, while 60 containers and 160 military vehicles were sent from the Netherlands to Turkey.

The Turkish government requested last November that its national air defense be reinforced with the support of NATO air defense elements to face any possible threat from militant movements in the neighboring Syria.