NATO experts on Wednesday began surveying Turkish sites that would serve as suitable locations for the deployment of Patriot missiles along Turkey’s border with Syria

NATO experts on Wednesday began surveying Turkish sites that would serve as suitable locations for the deployment of Patriot missiles along Turkey's border with Syria, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
  
The experts were due to visit a military base in eastern Turkey's Malatya province, which already hosts an early warning radar as part of NATO's missile defense system, Anatolia said.
  
Turkish officials say the number of Patriot batteries and their location would be decided after the visiting team reports back to the alliance.
  
AFP said that Turkey might receive up to six Patriot batteries and some 300 foreign troops to operate the missiles, which are expected to be supplied by The Netherlands or Germany, the two European providers of the US-made weapons.
  
Turkey last week asked NATO partners to deploy the surface-to-air missiles after a series of cross-border shellings, including an attack that left five civilians dead. NATO has yet to formally respond to the request.

Syrian allies are deeply opposed to the move, fearing such a deployment could spark broader conflict. Syria warned that such a move is provocative.