Maiziere: "Patriot missiles in Turkey are for defense purposes"

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday that Patriot missiles sent by Germany  to southern Turkey as part of a NATO mission to deter cross-border air strikes would not be used in case of a possible military intervention in Syria. Speaking to reporters during his visit to a marine training centre in Neustadt, Germany, Maiziere said that the patriot missiles in Turkey were totally for defense purposes.