Germany on Saturday said it would withdraw its two Patriot missile batteries from Turkey early next year, ending its role in a three-year NATO mission to help bolster the country's air defenses against threats from Syria's civil war, AFP reports.
The German army, known as the Bundeswehr, said on its website that the mandate for the mission would run out on January 31, 2016, and would not be renewed. Germany will also call back around 250 soldiers who are currently deployed in southeastern Turkey as part of the mission, the statement said.