Turkey reveals location of Syrian train-equip program
Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz says joint-US training program for Syrian opposition forces will be held in Turkey’s central province of Kirikkale
ANKARA
The train-and-equip program for Syrian opposition forces will be held in Turkey’s central Anatolia province of Kirikkale, the national defense minister said on Monday.
Ismet Yilmaz was answering reporters’ questions in Ankara before attending the ruling Justice and Development Party’s weekly meeting.
“Turkey and the United States will set up a joint commission. This commission will decide on the people who will be trained in Kirikkale province”, he said.
On Feb. 19, Turkey and the U.S. inked a deal to train and equip Syrian opposition forces, in which the aim is to achieve an actual political transformation in the war-torn country on the basis of the Geneva Communique.
The Syrian fighters trained in the joint program are expected to fight both Daesh (the Arabic acronym for ISIL) and the Assad regime.
Yilmaz said that he would pay an official visit to Iraq on Wednesday along with Foreign Ministry and Turkish Armed Forces officials. The defense minister is expected to meet Iraqi defense and interior figures. Turkish representatives will also visit Erbil in Iraq’s north.
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