U.S. withdraws air defense missiles from Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States has withdrawn its Patriot air defense missiles from Turkey’s Kurdish southeast, security sources said, according to Anadolu Agency.

The missiles were placed at Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, particularly on the Ocean Globe heavy lift vessel, which later left for the United States.

Patriots and personnel were deployed in Gaziantep after Turkey appealed to its NATO allies to guard against any missile threat from war-torn Syria.

The deployment expired this month, with no renewal planned.

The Syrian Civil War began in the early spring of 2011 in the context of Arab Spring protests, with nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from Islamic State.