Syrian rebel fighters acting as “auxiliary forces” to the Turkish army in the Turkish-controlled zone in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region have headed to Turkey to participate in military drills at Turkish army bases, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
The first group en route to Turkey comprises 400 members and is scheduled to be followed by another group of 300 fighters in the coming days, SOHR said.
The fighters will undergo military training by special forces trainers who are responsible for ground battles and combat operations in Syria.
The training aims to graduate fighters specialized in carrying out difficult tasks and attacks on Syrian territory.
Through these military drills, Turkey is working on upgrading the fighting efficiency of Syrian fighters to be battle hardened and to control their numbers, according to the SOHR report.
On Monday SOHR sources reported that Turkish forces stationed at checkpoints and bases in Idlib were put on high military alert for a visit by a delegation from the Turkish Ministry of Defense led by the commander of the special forces of ground operations in the area.