Turkey Will Help Train Moderate Syrian Rebels, Diplomat Says
MUGLA, Turkey — Turkey is ready to conclude an agreement this month to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels as part of the American-led effort to combat Islamic State fighters, a senior Turkish diplomat said Monday.
The military training, which will take place in Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to start in late March, the official said.
“Initially, the training will be for three years, and the current target is to train 15,000 people, 5,000 each year,” said the senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as a matter of diplomatic protocol.
“A limited number of American officers will come here to provide the training,” the official added.
The training will be a joint effort directed by American and Turkish military officers.
Turkish and American officials have not yet completed all the details on training methods and the selection criteria for the groups to be trained, the official added.
Turkish officials say that once trained the rebels will fight against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, as well as the forces of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Turkey has called for Mr. Assad to step down as part of a comprehensive strategy for peace in the region.
“There is no need to specifically identify the target,” the official said. “Syrian opposition has originally been established against the Assad regime and they are already fighting against both ISIS and Assad.”
Turkey has eagerly supported the program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels, but Turkish officials have insisted that the effort be reinforced by no-fly zones and safe zones inside Syria.
The safe zone would help stem the flow of refugees into Turkey, which currently shelters more than a million from Syria, government officials say.
The Turkish military already provides training for Iraqi Kurdish pesh merga forces in northern Iraq and has suggested a similar program for the restructured Iraqi Army as those forces struggle to contend with advances made by the Islamic State group.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/w...oderate-syrian-rebels-diplomat-says.html?_r=0
