US identifies 1,200 potential recruits for training against Islamic State
The program is expected to vet fighters using both US government databases as well as intelligence from regional partners.
The United States has so far identified about 1,200 Syrian opposition fighters for potential participation in a US military-led program to help train and equip them to battle the Islamic State, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The fighters will undergo vetting for the program, which is expected to begin in March at multiple sites outside of Syria and train more than 5,000 Syrian fighters a year. Some 3,000 could be trained by the end of 2015, a US official said.
The program is expected to vet fighters using both US government databases as well as intelligence from regional partners.
US officials said the Syrian fighters would be equipped with items including pickup trucks with mounted machine guns, radios and global positioning system trackers.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have publicly offered to host the training and Jordan has privately offered to do so. Training is likely to start in Jordan, according to anonymous sources.
On Tuesday, the United States and Turkey said they expected to soon sign an agreement on training and equipping moderate Syrian opposition fighters.
Turkey hopes the program will also bolster the broader opposition in its fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. officials have made clear the objective of the military's training program, however, is battling the Islamic State.
