U.S., Turkey soon to sign Syrian
opposition train-and-equip deal
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[February 18, 2015]
ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
United States and Turkey have reached a tentative agreement to train and
equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters and expect to sign the pact
soon, U.S. and Turkish officials said on Tuesday with Ankara predicting
a signing in days.
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The U.S. military has said it is planning to send more than 400
troops, including special operations forces, to train Syrian
moderates at sites outside Syria as part of the fight against the
Islamic State.
Three U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity,
said the training could begin in mid-March.
The vetted Syrian fighters would be equipped with items including
pickup trucks with mounted machine guns, radios and global
positioning system trackers, the officials said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the radios and GPS
equipment would enable the fighters to call in airstrikes, but the
officials told Reuters no authority had yet been granted for them to
do so.
U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian
fighters a year for three years under the plan. Saudi Arabia and
Qatar, as well as Turkey, have publicly offered to host training
sites. Reuters reported in December that Jordan had also privately
offered to host training.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Feb/18/images/ads/current/gives_you_more_bch_040314.png) Turkey hopes the training will also bolster the weakened and divided
Syrian opposition in their struggle against Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad.
"Negotiations have been concluded and an agreement text will be
signed with the U.S. regarding the training of the Free Syrian Army
in the coming period," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju
Bilgic said.
"We will share all the technical details ... when the text is
signed, but it is anticipated that this will happen in the coming
days," he told reporters in Ankara.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed an
agreement with Ankara in principle.
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"As we have announced before, Turkey has agreed to be one of the
regional hosts for the train-and-equip program for moderate Syrian
opposition forces. We expect to conclude and sign the agreement with
Turkey soon," Psaki told reporters.
The Free Syrian Army is seen by Turkey as a key actor in Syria's
kaleidoscopic conflict, but the group has been riven by divisions
and suffered setbacks at the hands of government forces and other
rebel factions.
A deal between Ankara and Washington would be a positive development
between the two longstanding allies, despite strains over Middle
Eastern policy. Turkey wants Assad's departure to be the focus in
Syria, while Washington's priority remains battling the Islamic
State insurgents.
(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Jonny Hogg in Ankara and Arshad
Mohammed, David Alexander and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by
Angus MacSwan, Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)
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