U.S.-trained Syrian rebels unlikely to reach battlefield before mid-2015

WASHINGTON TIMES

Senior Pentagon officials say that even if Congress approves a measure authorizing the U.S. military to train Syrian rebels battling the Islamic State it could be well into next year before those fighters reach the battlefield.

Planners need to develop a training program and locate a facility in Saudi Arabia at which to host the effort, officials said, while at the same time the U.S. intelligence community will need to thoroughly vet the roughly 5,000 Free Syrian Army rebels selected to participate.

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