U.S. and Turkey sign Syrian opposition train-and-equip deal

The United States and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, said the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Thursday. Following almost nine months of negotiations between Turkey and the U.S., the NATO allies reached an agreement on training and equipping moderate Syrian opposition groups fighting to topple the regime of President Bashar Assad. The deal was signed Thursday evening by U.S Ambassador John Bass and Turkish Foreign Ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu, said Embassy spokesman Joe Wierichs. He gave no further details. Addressing a joint press conference together with Turkey's EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ and Interior Minister Efkan Ala, following the Second Reform Action Group meeting in Ankara, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that between 1,500 and 2,000 fighters would receive training that is expected to be completed within the year.

"The aim of the program is to ensure a political transition and strengthen the opposition in their fight against threats such as extremism, terrorism, and all elements that pose a threat to the opposition, including from the regime (of Bashar Assad)," Cavuşoglu said. He added that other countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia were also engaged in similar programs involving the Syrian fighters.

The U.S. military has said it is planning to send more than 400 troops, including special operations forces to train Syrian moderates. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said earlier that once the protocol is signed, practical steps will be taken starting no later than next month. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has long been asking for more support in its fight against the Assad regime. There has been heavy fighting recently in northern Syria. The FSA still controls parts of Aleppo, though the government and its allied forces have been closing in.

The deal between Ankara and Washington is expected to be a positive development between the two longstanding allies. Turkey wants Assad's departure to be the focus in Syria, while Washington's priority remains battling ISIS insurgents.

Turkey has, since January, deported 1,112 foreign fighters who were trying to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Turkish Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz said on Thursday. Yılmaz added that 27 percent of those who are on Turkey's "no entry list" are from European and North American countries, while 46 percent are from North Africa and the Middle East and 23 percent are from other regions. "When we receive timely and actionable intelligence, we are able to stop or deport them," he said. "Foreign fighters are our common enemy."

Three suspected terrorists who were traveling illegally through Turkey in March 2014 killed three security personnel and one civilian, while injuring others. Also, a female foreign terrorist carried out a suicide attack in Istanbul and killed one police officer in January. According to the U.N., more than 13,000 fighters from more than 80 countries have joined ISIS and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq. "Washington is working on a collective effort to challenge the dangerous menace that threatens global peace and stability," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday during the summit. Participants included Albania, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Singapore, the U.K. and other countries.