US military begins training Syrian rebels to fight IS

The US military has begun training a small group of Syrian rebels in an effort to build a force capable of defeating Islamic State militants.

Ashton Carter, US defence secretary, said about 90 people were being trained in a secure location, and they would be paid by the United States.

He said more fighters would begin training soon at sites in Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Supporting the troops militarily on the battlefield has not been ruled out.

Nearly 4,000 fighters volunteered for the programme but, after an extensive screening process, only 400 were given places.

Carter was at pains to point out that the role of the force would be to take on the Islamic State and not the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. However, he did not say what would happen if the rebels engaged the Syrian army.