ANKARA
The train-and-equip program for vetted Syrian fighters can begin in May in Turkey, Turkish defense minister said Tuesday.
Addressing the media before attending the ruling Justice and Development or AK Party’s weekly meeting in Anakra, Ismet Yilmaz said that Turkish delegations were continuing their negotiations with the U.S. over selection of Syrian fighters for the program.
When asked about how Syrian fighters were being selected, Yilmaz said it was being done “jointly” with partner countries.
“We think that the train-and-equip program for 'vetted members' of Syrian opposition forces can start in May,” he said.
He also reiterated that the exact place for training Syrian fighters in Turkey had been decided. On March 2, the defense minister had announced that the program for Syrian fighters would be held in Turkey’s central Anatolia province of Kirikkale.
The minister also said that the U.K. might also participate in the program as one of the countries providing trainers.
On Feb. 19, Turkey and the U.S. inked a deal to train-and-equip Syrian fighters in an effort to achieve an actual political transformation in the war-torn country on the basis of the Geneva Communique. The fighters are expected to fight both Daesh and the Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian regime.
