U.S. Begins Training Syrian Rebels

The United States has launched a program to train Syrian fighters in Jordan as a part of a larger effort in the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday. Troops have started training a group of 90 Syrian fighters in Jordan, one of four training sites including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Training is expected to begin in Turkey this weekend, according to Turkish officials. More than 3,760 Syrian fighters have volunteered for the training and an estimated 300 have finished the prescreening, according to U.S. officials. There are around 450 coalition forces participating in the training at the four sites, including aronud 350 Americans.