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Pentagon pays $400 to rebels in Syria per month to fight ISIL

The Pentagon is paying stipends of $250 to $400 to the so-called "moderate" rebels in Syria.

The US Department of Defense is paying money to the so-called “moderate” rebels in Syria who are being trained to fight the ISIL Takfiri terrorists, a pentagon official says.

The Pentagon is paying stipends of $250 to $400 as training of the first group of about 90 rebels began in May, said Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman, on Monday.

The training, which would take several months, will prepare about 3,000 rebels by the end of this year, but the final estimate is 5,400 who will be ready within 12 months, Smith said.

"For operational security, we will not announce when coalition-trained Syrian opposition forces enter into Syria," she said.

The program, which was delayed by several months because of difficulty in finding and vetting rebels, is taking place in Syria’s neighboring countries, including Jordan.

The so-called “moderate” rebels will be equipped with small arms and will learn how to maneuver and communicate. They will primarily protect their towns and villages from ISIL terrorists, according to the Pentagon.

A number of 6,000 individuals has volunteered for training, but only 1,500 have passed the first stage of selection so far and about 500 have been turned down for various reasons.

There are problems in implementing the training program in addition to strategic differences between the US and its partners in the region, including Turkey.

The US is having difficulty bringing the militants from Syria and training them in Turkey and Jordan, Pentagon officials acknowledged last week.

The ISIL terrorists -- some of whom were amongst militants initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government -- now control large parts of Syria and Iraq.

The United States and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 210,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for four years.

AT/AGB


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