The United States and the Turkish military have signed a pact to train Syrian rebels fighting Islamic terrorist groups.
The agreement was signed Thursday by John Bass, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary. The officials hailed the pact as an important agreement between both states, according to the Voice of America.
The United States military is currently planning to send around 400 troops, including special operations forces, to train Syrian rebels outside Syria. Training these Syrian rebels is part of the campaign to battle the Islamic State terrorist group.
Both states didn't reveal the exact names of the Islamic groups they're training the rebels to fight against. Nevertheless, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister said the Islamic State will be their priority.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, the Turkish Foreign Ministry undersecretary, said this is only the beginning and there are many other things to do. There is chaos everywhere in the world but when states work together, it's possible to make a difference.
"It is only a first step. There are so many things for us to do," Sinirlioglu said. "We are experiencing many chaotic situations in our neighborhood and in other parts of the world. When we work together, we believe that we can make a difference," the Miami Herald reported.
U.S. trainers will use a Turkish base somewhere in central Anatolia to house 2,000 Syrian rebels each year for the next three years. Another 2,000 Syrian trainees will be trained in two more bases to be provided by Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said the details of the agreement will be made public soon.