U.S. begins training Syrian rebels to fight ISIS

Rebel troops
(Image credit: Kutluhan Cucel/Getty Images)

The U.S. has begun training Syrian rebels in Jordan to fight on the ground against the Islamic State, military officials said Thursday.

The Obama administration said earlier this year it would send 400 soldiers to the region to train an estimated 15,000 foreign fighters to combat ISIS. However, the long process of vetting would-be fighters to strip potential extremists from the recruit pool delayed the start of training.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.