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US troops to train Syrian opposition in Middle East

The first set of 100 US troops have been ordered to travel to the Middle East to establish training sites for the Syrian opposition, announced the Pentagon on Friday.

The pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said that the decision, which was authorised last week, would see a 100 troops arriving in countries outside Syria in the next few days, with several hundred other military trainers joining in upcoming weeks.

Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have offered to host sites for US forces to train members of the Syrian opposition forces to fight Islamic State militants and provide protection to their communities, reports Reuters.

US officials have outlined plans to train 5,000 Syrian fighters a year for three years. 

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