US Forces Train Syrian Rebels To Fight ISIS As Militants Control Majority Of Key Oil Refinery

The U.S. military has begun training Syrian rebels in Jordan to help fight ISIS militants. The combat training is part of an effort to build a force capable of pushing back the extremists.

U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said American troops have started training about 90 Syrian fighters for combat. He added that the U.S. will have to ensure the safety of the Syrian forces when they return to the fight. Jordan is the first training site out of four to begin the instruction. The other sites are in Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Turkish officials said the U.S. military would begin training fighters in Turkey in the coming weekend. Over 3,750 Syrian fighters have volunteered to train with U.S. forces and about 400 have already completed the pre-screening process. U.S. officials have said in earlier reports that each class would have up to 300 participants, reports CBS News.

“Jordan confirms that the war against terrorism is our war, and it’s the war of the Muslims and Arabs, first and foremost, to protect our interests and the security of our countries, peoples and the future of our children, and to defend our tolerant religion,” said Mohammed Momani, a Jordanian government spokesperson. He told the Associated Press that training had begun “a few days ago.”

About 450 coalition forces are training in the four locations including 350 American soldiers. In September 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama had signed a legislation that would give the U.S. authority to provide weapons and train Syrian rebels in the fight against ISIS.

The U.S. had spent months evaluating the fighters to ensure there will be no enemies or extremists in the mix. The Syrian fighters will undergo training on basic military equipment and skills, including firearms, communications and command and control abilities.

The Obama administration said the program will only target ISIS forces since the U.S. is not at war with Syria. However, experts believe the U.S.-trained Syrian fighters will likely encounter Syrian government forces.

Meanwhile, ISIS has seized a key oil refinery in Iraq as Iraqi security forces now control only about 20 percent of the facility. A senior U.S. official told CNN that ISIS has taken hold of “the majority” of the site. The area has been heavily contested but ISIS militants have successfully moved into several areas of the refinery in recent days.

The Baiji oil refinery is considered a strategic location because it is one of the key infrastructures in Iraq, located on a major route in the city of Mosul. Officials said Iraqi government forces hope to take back the refinery from the clutches of ISIS in the coming months.

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