February 21, 2015

Turkey, US sign deal to train Syria rebels

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Saturday 21 Feb 2015 - 19:37 Makkah mean time-2-5-1436



Turkey, US sign deal to train Syria rebels (Google image)



Ankara, (IINA) - The United States and Turkey signed an agreement on Thursday to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, and Ankara will provide an equal number of trainers to work alongside their American military counterparts, a U.S. official said, news agencies reported.

"The agreement was signed by the foreign ministry undersecretary and the U.S. ambassador," a U.S. embassy spokesman in Ankara said on Thursday.

The news agencies reported that the deal was inked by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and U.S. Ambassador to Ankara John Bass.

The U.S. military has said it is planning to send more than 400 troops, including special operations forces, to train Syrian opposition fighters at sites outside Syria as part of the fight against "IS" militants.

U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters per year for three years under the plan.

The effort to train and equip Syrian moderates to fight ISIS began to pick up steam after months of planning.

SM/IINA




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