Report: Germany May Offer Missiles for NATO Mission along Syrian Border

Germany is prepared to contribute Patriot missiles to a NATO mission to help Turkey at the border with Syria, the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Saturday.

The German army would contribute up to 170 soldiers as well as Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to such a NATO mission, the newspaper said.

The German defense ministry said Saturday that NATO first needed a mandate before Berlin could consider such a commitment, with a ministry spokesman noting that Turkey has yet to make a formal request.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Ankara was expected to lodge one on Monday.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said early this week that the transatlantic alliance was prepared to assist Turkey, a NATO member, in case the conflict in Syria encroached on its border.

Ankara said last week that it was in talks with NATO about the Patriots but had not made any formal request.

President Abdullah Gul said last week that Turkey reserved the right to defend itself against any threat from Syria, its one-time ally, but that it was "out of the question" that Ankara would start a war.

Syrian forces and rebels have been involved in heavy and often deadly fighting in the past week around a Syrian border town, sending thousands more Syrians fleeing into Turkey, which has boosted its defenses along the volatile frontier.

Turkish forces have systematically retaliated to every cross-border shelling since Syrian fire killed five Turkish civilians on October 3.