US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey announced at a joint press conference that U.S. trainers have arrived in Saudi Arabia to assist in the development of moderate Syrian rebels, the Voice of America reports.
“Opposition fighters are being vetted by U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence experts to determine which Syrians will be trained, but the rebel groups will choose their own leadership,” VOA reports.
The partnership and effort will require long-term commitment, Dempsey said. “We have to do it right, not fast.”
The United States military lauded what it called “a great deal of professionalism and pride” brought by Arab states to the fight against IS, according to comments by the director of the Joint Staff Air Force Lt. Gen. David L. Goldfein available on the CENTCOM Web Site.
“The Arab nations fit right in with operations against ISIL…This is a force that has grown over time,” General Goldfein said. “And it has grown because we trained together at a level that has paid off,” he said. “We often don’t connect those dots. There was a time when it would have been very challenging to integrate them into any operation.”
The U.S. and GCC allies continued to pound IS positions from the air, according to CENTCOM.
