ANKARA, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Suecia Seaways cargo ship with Patriot missiles onboard arrived Monday at the Turkish port of Iskenderun, local media reported.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the missiles it carried from Germany will be stationed in Kahramanmaras, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) inside Turkey's border with Syria, while the Dutch systems will be deployed in the Adana Province.
Germany has sent 240 soldiers to Turkey. An advance Bundeswehr team is already on site. The deployment will number some 350 German soldiers, including medics, Deutsche Welle said.
The main German contingent flew out of Berlin Sunday. Two German Patriot units are to be fully operational by early February.
NATO agreed in December to station two units from each of the three NATO partners (Germany, the Netherlands, and the US) at the request of its member Turkey, after Syrian shelling along the border killed five Turkish civilians in October.
In early January, US personnel and equipment began arriving at the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to support NATO’s Patriot battery deployment, the US European Command (Eucom) said.
The PAC-2 version of the Patriot missile works by exploding close to an incoming missile. The more advanced PAC-3 hits the incoming missile directly.
NATO approved the Patriot batteries deployment last month, after a request filed by Turkey. Russia has repeatedly protested the deployment, warning that it would mean the direct involvement of NATO forces in the Syrian conflict, further undermining the already unstable situation in the region.
Turkey maintains that it needs the batteries to shore up security on its 900-kilometer (560 mile) border with Syria. Damascus is believed to have several hundred surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads.
The duration of the deployment will be determined by the contributing nations in coordination with Turkey and NATO, the Eucom said.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria flared dangerously this summer after Damascus shot down a Turkish fighter that had violated its airspace. Turkey threatened retaliation if there was any repeat of the incident, although it admitted the plane had mistakenly strayed slightly into Syria.
