Turkey Seeks U.S. Patriot Missiles to Deter Russia in Syria
- Revelation followed by more Turkish fatalities in Idlib
- Turkey is determined to halt Syrian offensive on rebel bastion
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Turkey has asked the U.S. to deploy two Patriot missile-defense batteries on its southern border to free it to punish any future attacks by Russian-backed Syrian troops, according to a senior Turkish official in Ankara.
The disclosure was almost immediately followed on Thursday by a spasm of violence that left two Turkish soldiers dead and five wounded in Idlib, underscoring the risks as two regional powerbrokers assert their influence in northwestern Syria.