In their second effort to push back the ISIS insurgent from the Turkish border, a second group of rebel fighters who have been trained in Turkey by the U.S.-led coalition is most likely to be deployed within a couple of weeks, reported Reuters on Friday.
In a joint action against the radical Islamist group, the US and Turkey would provide air fire power which would be used a shield for the US trained rebel fighters. The aim of the operation is to free a rectangular plot of land that measures 80 kilometres long and Reuters reported that air strikes have already begun from Turkish area as a precursor to the actual ground operations.
Diplomatic sources, as reported by Reuters, claims that gaining control of the plot of land close to the Turkish border is very critical in the fight against the Islamic radical group as this area is being used by the ISIS as the corridor to smuggle in foreign fighters. Sources said that gaining control of the area can be a game changer in the joint operations against the ISIS.
However speculations about the success of the proposed operation have already started to arise. It was reported that members of the first batch of US trained Syrian rebels were captured and taken hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The first group had less than 60 fighters. Members of the group were captured reportedly in northern Syria barely a few weeks after their deployment on the ground. The radicals had warned other such fighters to abandon the training program.
While the US -led efforts to train and equip thousands of screened members of the Syrian opposition over the next three years are under way, the capture of the rebel fighters has brought out, according to experts, the fragility of the exercise. The plan of the US –led coalition is to help defend communities against Islamic State.
“Although there has been some scepticism about it, it is far too early to write off this program. Massive resources have been invested in this to make it work and we think it will work in the end,” one of the diplomatic sources told Reuters on Friday.
The training program for the second group of Syrian rebels, being conducted in Turkey by the U.S. and British military instructors, is slated to get over in weeks after which there are plans to deploy them on the ground.
Reuters reported that the exact deployment of the second batch of the US-trained Syrian rebels would depend on the "the latest battlefield dynamics" according to sources.
The US-led coalition against ISIS has plans to deploy around 1,000 Syrian fighters in Syria by the end of this year, reported Reuters.
While Turkey denied any official comments on the issues, sources confirmed that the training was under way.
The US administration, including the Pentagon and the State Department reiterated the safety of the Syrian rebels after the attack by the Nusra Front and sources said that coalition air strikes in northern Syria would be launched before deployment and during deployment of the rebels.
The US-led coalition operations against the ISIS received a fillip after Turkey decided and announced its joining the fight against the ISIS and gave permission to use its soil as forward bases last month. Being a member of NATO, Turkey’s decision was viewed as the country’s decision in taking a frontline role against the Islamist fighters pressing on its borders.
(Sources: www.reuters.com)
In a joint action against the radical Islamist group, the US and Turkey would provide air fire power which would be used a shield for the US trained rebel fighters. The aim of the operation is to free a rectangular plot of land that measures 80 kilometres long and Reuters reported that air strikes have already begun from Turkish area as a precursor to the actual ground operations.
Diplomatic sources, as reported by Reuters, claims that gaining control of the plot of land close to the Turkish border is very critical in the fight against the Islamic radical group as this area is being used by the ISIS as the corridor to smuggle in foreign fighters. Sources said that gaining control of the area can be a game changer in the joint operations against the ISIS.
However speculations about the success of the proposed operation have already started to arise. It was reported that members of the first batch of US trained Syrian rebels were captured and taken hostage by the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The first group had less than 60 fighters. Members of the group were captured reportedly in northern Syria barely a few weeks after their deployment on the ground. The radicals had warned other such fighters to abandon the training program.
While the US -led efforts to train and equip thousands of screened members of the Syrian opposition over the next three years are under way, the capture of the rebel fighters has brought out, according to experts, the fragility of the exercise. The plan of the US –led coalition is to help defend communities against Islamic State.
“Although there has been some scepticism about it, it is far too early to write off this program. Massive resources have been invested in this to make it work and we think it will work in the end,” one of the diplomatic sources told Reuters on Friday.
The training program for the second group of Syrian rebels, being conducted in Turkey by the U.S. and British military instructors, is slated to get over in weeks after which there are plans to deploy them on the ground.
Reuters reported that the exact deployment of the second batch of the US-trained Syrian rebels would depend on the "the latest battlefield dynamics" according to sources.
The US-led coalition against ISIS has plans to deploy around 1,000 Syrian fighters in Syria by the end of this year, reported Reuters.
While Turkey denied any official comments on the issues, sources confirmed that the training was under way.
The US administration, including the Pentagon and the State Department reiterated the safety of the Syrian rebels after the attack by the Nusra Front and sources said that coalition air strikes in northern Syria would be launched before deployment and during deployment of the rebels.
The US-led coalition operations against the ISIS received a fillip after Turkey decided and announced its joining the fight against the ISIS and gave permission to use its soil as forward bases last month. Being a member of NATO, Turkey’s decision was viewed as the country’s decision in taking a frontline role against the Islamist fighters pressing on its borders.
(Sources: www.reuters.com)
