NATO will defend Turkey from Syrian attacks, Rasmussen warns

NATO will defend its member-state Turkey, the alliance's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday. Ankara remains concerned about security along its border with Syria: “NATO as an organization will do what it takes to protect and defend Turkey, our ally,” Rasmussen said in Prague. “We have all plans in place to make sure that we can protect and defend Turkey and hopefully that way also deter so that attacks on Turkey will not take place.” The NATO chief did not speak on the rumored deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to guard Turkey.