US HIMARS rocket system to be deployed on Turkish border: FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Monday confirmed reports that the United States will be sending a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Turkey's border with Syria, which has been increasingly targeted by Daesh rocket attacks.

The HIMARS – a US light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) - will be deployed in May, Çavuşoğlu told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

“We have come to an agreement with the US regarding closing down the Manbij area. Our strategy on the issue is set too. …HIMARS rockets will arrive on the Turkish border in May according to this agreement, and we will be able to hit Daesh targets more effectively," the Turkish FM said.

In recent weeks the Turkish border province of Kilis has been hit by multiple rocket attack from Daesh-held areas in Syria, killing several civilians.

Turkish military retaliated with artillery fire on Daesh positions determined by surveillance drones.

“Our cannons have a range of 40 kilometers while American HIMARS rockets have a range of 90 kilometers," Çavuşoğlu said adding that the new enforcement on the border will step up the anti-Daesh fight.

He explained that the Syrian opposition would be empowered to eradicate Daesh from the area.

“With the new strategy, more forces will be relocated for the fight against Daesh – new names are being chosen for this- the Syrian opposition will be supported by air and via the Turkish border," he added.

Çavuşoğlu said that their priority was to mop up the 98 kilometer Manbij area and eradicate the Daesh terrorist organization from the area.

“After accomplishing this, the safe zone will come into being on its own, eventually," he said adding that the US President Barack Obama recently expressed that he was not against the idea of a safe zone, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel openly supported the idea.

Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, Turkish leaders repeatedly called on the US-led anti-Daesh coalition to establish a safe zone inside Syria near the Turkish border. But the West was reluctant to implement the Turkish plan.

“They are slow to understand that Turkey's theses, specifically regarding a safe zone and Syria, are correct; unable to see the truth because they are biased. In fact, this is one of the main problems about the West; they act like know-it-alls," Çavuğolu said.