Saudis launch U.S.-backed training for 5,000 Syrian rebels

Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has begun training Sunni rebels in the war against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Diplomatic sources said the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom has been hosting thousands of Sunni rebels for military training.

The Saudi military has agreed to train up to 15,000 rebels for the war in Syria.

The Saudi military has agreed to train up to 15,000 rebels for the war in Syria.

The sources said some 5,000 recruits have arrived from Syria, Turkey and other countries for a course that could last between four and six months.

“This marks a long-term commitment by the Saudis and its allies to sustain the revolt in Syria,” a diplomat said.

The sources said the Saudi training program was supported by the United States. They said the program was a key demand by Riyad in exchange for its participation in the war against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Saudi Arabia has already become the chief financier of the Sunni revolt. The sources said Riyad ordered the formation of the so-called Islamic Front, which brought together a range of Islamist rebel militias.

Under the program, the Saudi military would train up to 15,000 Sunni rebels for the war in Syria. The sources said the rebels would then be sent to Jordan and Turkey for deployment in Syria.

“You can’t simply deal with ISIS [ISIL] and not deal with Assad,” former Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki Al Faisal, told U.S. television.

Source Article from http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/06/5000-sunni-rebels-arrive-training-saudi-arabia/

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