US to withdraw Patriot missiles in October

Turkey and the United States said on Sunday that Washington would withdraw its Patriot missile batteries from Turkey in October after bolstering Ankara's air defenses against threats from Syria's civil conflict.

The NATO mandate for the mission will run out in October and will not be renewed, but the US is prepared to return Patriot assets and personnel to Turkey within one week if needed, a joint Turkish-US statement said.

"They will be redeployed to the US for modernization upgrades that will ensure the US missile defense force remains capable of countering evolving global threats and protecting Allies, including Turkey," the statement said.