Germany will pull two Patriot missile batteries and 250 troops from southern Turkey by the start of next year after a reassessment of the threats stemming from the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced at the weekend that Berlin would let its three-year Patriot mission lapse in January instead of seeking parliamentary approval to extend it.
Germany, the United States and the Netherlands all deployed Patriots in early 2013 after Turkey asked its fellow Nato partners for help in protecting its territory amid an escalating civil war in Syria. The Dutch ended their mission earlier this year and were replaced by the Spanish.
"The threat in this war-torn region has shifted in focus," von der Leyen said in a statement on the defence ministry's website. "It now stems from the terror organisation Islamic State. Therefore, we will remain engaged in the region in a continued effort to stabilise it."
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