In December 2012, the German army stationed one of its Patriots about 100 kilometers from the Syrian border in Turkey to protect the country against potential attacks from the territory of its neighbor.
Since late July, Ankara has been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIL) militants in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK) in northern Iraq, following a string of violent attacks in southeastern Turkey.
Bartsch added that the deployment of the Patriot defense system made no sense, stating that the German government had stationed it on political grounds.
On July 20, a suicide bombing took place in the Turkish border city of Suruc, killing more than 30 people, most of them Kurds. The attack was reportedly committed by ISIL. In response, Kurdish militia killed two policemen in Turkey, justifying the murders by claiming the officers had backed Islamic State.
