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U.S. deploys HIMARS system along Turkey's border with Syria

Xinhua, September 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Around 50 U.S. soldiers have arrived near Turkey's border with Syria to use the newly-deployed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in the fight against the Islamic State (IS), Hurriyet Daily News reported Monday.

The HIMARS system has been deployed near the Turkish Armed Forces' defense missile system in the Almalitepe region of the southeastern province of Gaziantep, the reports said.

The system carries a total of six rockets with extended range guidance at 60-100 kilometers and quick mobility capabilities.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara said on Saturday that the U.S. forces hit IS targets overnight near Turkey's border with Syria using HIMARS.

The embassy described the development as the "the latest step in the U.S.-Turkey cooperation in the fight against the IS."

It was not immediately clear when the system was deployed at Turkey's border.

Even though the deployment of the HIMARS systems has been on Ankara's agenda, the fulfillment of the U.S. promises has taken six months, according to Daily Sabah. Endit