Turkey to allow more patrol flights on Syria border by NATO allies

ANKARA – Reuters

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“Some NATO countries, especially Britain, have complained that they could not perform enough patrol flights on Turkey’s Syrian border as the engagement rules were too strict,” the official told Reuters.



“After talks ... Turkey eased these engagement rules to bring them in line with NATO policies,” he added.



NATO was told about the move around three weeks ago, the official said, but coalition countries have not yet carried out additional flights.



Back in March, NATO said it was going to boost border surveillance to protect its member Turkey from possible threats coming from neighboring war-torn Syria.



“We agreed with Turkey on Feb. 11 to intensify and increase surveillance of [the] border between Turkey and Syria, we are in the process of establishing [this] with Turkey in the best possible way,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a joint news conference on March 10.



Turkey has adjusted its military rules of engagement to allow NATO allies to carry out more patrol flights along its border with northern Syria, a Turkish official said on June 28.