LONDON, January 22 (Sputnik) — The US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) group will begin training moderate Syrian opposition groups in spring, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.
"This spring we are going to begin training of the Syrian opposition forces," Kerry said at a press conference following the anti-IS coalition talks in London, the United Kingdom.
Kerry also added that besides moderate Syria rebels, other nationals will also undergo special training to join the coalition in their fight against IS militants.
The news follows last week's announcement from the US Defense Department that as many as 1,000 American troops and trainers would be sent to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to assist in the training of Syrian opposition groups.
The US-led coalition has been performing airstrikes on IS targets since September following an escalation in the atrocities committed by the extremist group. The extremist militant group began fighting the Syrian government in 2012. IS later expanded operations to Iraq and declared a caliphate in the territories controlled by the militant group in both the countries.
