Syrian conflict

American troops and missile batteries arrive on Syrian border

American troops and missile batteries arrived on the Syrian border on Friday in the most high-profile escalation of international pressure on the embattled Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad in months.

the Telegraph,

4 January, 2013

After weeks in which events in Syria took a back seat to the US presidential election campaign, Washington confirmed that the first US troops and equipment had arrived at Incirlik, an air-base in south-eastern Turkey.

Other western troops were photographed by Turkish media landing at Gaziantep airport, near the Syrian border and a short drive from Aleppo, the country's biggest city.

American, German and Dutch troops will be staffing six batteries of Patriot missiles, to be stationed on the border at Turkey's request to deter Syrian attacks close to or over the frontier. Their defensive use has been stressed, but their deployment comes in the wake of renewed criticism by the Syrian opposition of the West's failure to intervene on its behalf, particularly against the regime's aerial attacks.

"The deployment of six Patriot batteries, including two each from Germany and the Netherlands, is in response to Turkey's request to NATO," a statement by the US European Command, said. "The forces will augment Turkey's air defence capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance's border."

Rebels claim that their inability to defend themselves and civilians against the regime's superior firepower without western support means they have to resort to the sort of suicide attacks carried out by jihadist groups in the opposition, especially Jabhat al-Nusra, which is said to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

In the latest incident, a car bomb exploded at a petrol station in the government-held Damascus suburb of Barzeh, killing 11 people, including civilians, and injuring 40 more, according to both government and opposition reports.

It appeared to be a response to a regime air attack on a petrol station in a rebel-held town also near Damascus on Wednesday, in which dozens of people were killed.

Fighting remains intense both around Damascus and in and around Aleppo, where rebels continued to press an attack on a major air base near the town of Taftanaz. Aleppo airport, which had remained open until this week, has now been shut since Monday night as fighting has crept closer.