Anti-ISIL coalition to train Syria opposition fighters

US secretary of state tells anti-ISIL UK summit that forces will be trained in camps in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

 

 

The meeting examined ways of intensifying the coalition campaign against ISIL in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has announced it intends to step-up its training of Syrian opposition forces in camps in the region, as well as establishing a fund to help those affected by ISIL when it is "long gone".
US Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcements after a meeting of 21 coalition members in London on Thursday.
"This spring, we're going to begin training Syrian opposition forces in camps in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar", Kerry said.
"We're also concerned with helping Daesh's (ISIL's) victims to rebuild their lives once Daesh (ISIL) is long gone."
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who was also among those attending the meeting.


The talks examined ways of intensifying the assault on ISIL in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere by doing more militarily, looking at ways to cut off the group's finances and how to stem the flow of foreign fighters.
Earlier in the day, Britain's foreign minister warned it could take up to two years to expel the group from Iraq.
Philip Hammond said that the task of pushing ISIL back in Iraq would be slow, and that while Iraqi forces were getting better they were still some way off from being able to launch a major ground offensive.
"This isn't going to be done in three months or six months. It's going to take a year, two years to push ISIL back out of Iraq but we are doing the things that need to be done in order to turn the tide," Hammond told Sky News.