Turkey, U.S. to train Syrian rebels against IS, Syrian gov't: FM

Syrian rebels, who will be trained and equipped by the United States and Turkey, will fight both the Islamic State (IS) militants and Syrian government forces, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday.

"Forces that we'll train and equip will naturally fight against elements that threaten integrity of Syria," Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara, adding that the trained Syrian opposition groups are "expected to fight" the IS and "elements of the (Syrian) regime."

"We are on the same page with the U.S. on this issue," the minister said, adding that Turkey and the United States will soon sign a deal to train and equip Syrian rebels.

Ankara and Washington have been in negotiations on efforts to battle the IS in Syria. Talks on the training and equipping program have continued for months and the deal is expected to be sealed in the coming days.

The project is expected to start simultaneously in March in Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, reports said.

However, Ankara has been reluctant to take any robust measures and to be a full-fledged part of the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition, unless Washington agrees to adopt an "integrated strategy" that also targets the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power.

Washington has said earlier that the priority is not Assad but the threat from the IS. Endit