Syrian rebels get their first U.S.-trained fighters

The Washington Post, 17 July 2015
The first contingent of Free Syrian Army members trained by the United States to fight the Islamic State crossed the border from the training facility in Jordan back into Syria this week, according to a U.S. official familiar with the program.
Unverified pictures on social media showed a convoy of new-looking Toyota pickups carrying American-made heavy machine guns and spare fuel cans headed back into the war-torn country.
The fighters, numbering about several dozen, are a part of the FSA’s 30thDivision, according to the U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the training publicly.
While the Defense Department declined on Wednesday to comment on the whereabouts of newly trained fighters, a spokeswoman said the force was expected to integrate itself with other moderate rebel units to increase their combat effectiveness.
“It is anticipated that new Syrian force personnel will coordinate with other moderate opposition forces to build trust between organizations that are countering ISIL,” Navy Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail, using one of several abbreviations by which the Islamic State is known.