The U.S. will pull out its Patriot missile defense units along the Turkish border with Syria as the two allies focus on ground threats from Islamic State fighters.
The U.S. had deployed two Patriot systems in 2013 to defend Turkey against a possible attack from the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Patriot systems will return to the U.S. for upgrades after the current agreement expires in October, according to a joint statement by from the Turkish government and the U.S. embassy in Ankara.
The withdrawal reflects a shift in priorities. The U.S. and Turkey, one of its oldest if fraught alliances in the region, are focused on stopping the spread of jihadist militants in conflict-ridden Syria and Iraq. If needed, the U.S. missiles can return to Turkey within one week, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After months of hesitation, Turkey agreed to let the U.S. use its Incirlik Air Base to launch air strikes against Islamic State forces in neighboring Syria, a move that reduces from hours to minutes the time needed to reach some targets.
Yet the working relationship is complicated by Turkey’s hostility toward Kurdish fighters, many of whom are American allies in ground battles against Islamic State. Turkey recently expanded its campaign to attack Kurdish PKK militants in northern Iraq.
The U.S. and Turkey are consulting on possible other steps bilaterally to reinforce Turkey’s security, the defense official said. The U.S. also will keep Aegis combat ships in the eastern Mediterranean that can assist with missile defense for Turkey, according to the joint statement.
The agreement comes as Turkey is considering whether to buy a missile defense system from China or from the U.S.
Turkey agreed in 2013 to buy a $3.4 billion missile defense system from China, but soon put off the deal amid pressure from NATO members. Since then, it has said it’s weighing alternatives to the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile system, including a U.S. Patriot system led by Raytheon Co. and another from French- Italian partnership Eurosam GIE.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in July that China provided the best offer for a missile defense system in Turkey and should “enrich” its bid. U.S. officials have told Turkey that a missile defense system from China couldn’t be integrated with NATO systems.
