US, Turkey ink deal to train, arm Syrian rebels to fight IS militants
United States (US) and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and arm moderate Syrian opposition forces taking on Islamic State (IS) militants.
The deal was inked by Turkey’s foreign ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and US ambassador to Ankara John Bass.
Key facts
- Under the plan, the US will train about 5,000 Syrian fighters from the Free Syrian Army a year for three years. To train these fighters US is planning to send more than 400 troops.
- This deal marks important step for US President Barack Obama’s plan to turn moderate Syrian rebels into ground forces that will wage war on IS militants.
- While, Western and Arab countries assist them by providing airstrikes to stop IS militants.
- Saudi Arabia and Qatar also have agreed to host similar training programmes which will begin in March 2015.
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Month: Current Affairs - February, 2015