Turkey, U.S. to start train-and-equip plan for Syria rebels May 9 – Turkey

Residents walk amidst debris at a site damaged by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad al-Sukkari neighborhood of Aleppo, May 1, 2015. REUTERS/Hosam Katan

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The latest U.S.-led plan to train and arm a Syrian opposition force will start in Turkey on May 9, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a Turkish newspaper.

The programme to train and arm a force that is expected to eventually total more than 15,000 troops has been mired in delays as many details of the plan, such as whether or how Washington would come to their aid on the battlefield, remain unclear. A rebel commander last month told Reuters he expected the training to start in July.