ANKARA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A 30-member Dutch military team, which departed from the Netherlands, arrived in southern Turkey on Tuesday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
The team will make preparations for the deployment of Patriot air defense system to be installed along Turkish-Syrian border, according to the report.
Two cargo planes carrying Dutch team landed in Incirlik air base in Adana province in southern Turkey, said the report.
The team will survey and make required preparations for the deployment of Patriots that are expected to reach Adana on January 22 after a two-week sea voyage.
Earlier, Dutch government and parliament approved to send two Patriots to Turkey under a demand by NATO.
A Dutch military unit of 270 officials, who will operate the Patriots, will leave for Adana on January 21.
The deployment of six Patriot batteries, including two each from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, is in response to Turkey's request to NATO against possible missile threat from Syria. All six batteries will be under NATO's command and scheduled to be operational by the end of January.
The 21-month crisis against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned increasingly bloody, with heavy fighting frequently erupting along Syria's border with Turkey.
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