US, Turkey close to deal on Syrian training effort

U.S. and Turkish officials are reportedly close to finalizing an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels on Turkish soil, one of the Obama administration’s pillars for defeating Islamic militants.

{mosads}A Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters that the training is expected to start in March and will coincide with similar efforts in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

“Around 1,500 to 2,000 people are expected to be trained in Turkey [in the first year],” the official told the news agency, adding that the goal is to train around 15,000 Syrian rebels over three years.

The official said a “limited number” of U.S. soldiers would travel to Turkey to help coordinate the training, which is set to take place in the Turkish city of Kirsehir.

Last month, lawmakers from both parties expressed concern that the program to train and arm Syrian rebels wasn’t moving fast enough to be effective against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Congress first approved the $500 million program in September as part of the president’s strategy to degrade and defeat the terror group.

The program was extended for another two years when President Obama signed the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act into law last month.

Turkey has come under fire from Capitol Hill lawmakers who charge Ankara is not doing enough to stem the flow of foreign fighters using its borders to join ISIS.