UK, France training Syrian militants in Jordan

British and French instructors are training militants in Jordan to fight against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a British newspaper says.

On Friday, The Guardian quoted Jordanian security sources as saying that the training program, which started last year, is led by the United States.

“It’s the Americans, Brits and French with some of the Syrian generals who defected. But we’re not talking about a huge operation,” a Jordanian source said.

He noted that the trainees are still waiting for a “green light” to be dispatched to the northern Syrian city of Daraa.

A European diplomat has implicitly confirmed the report.

“As is normal, before any major decision is taken on this issue, the preparations are made so that when that decision is taken, everything is in place for it to go smoothly. That is what these groups [special forces] do. They go in in advance,” said the diplomat, who was not identified.

On February 28, the so-called Friends of Syria group held talks with members of the Syrian opposition in Rome and pledged to provide more material support to the militants operating in the country.

Last October, the Pentagon announced that a small group of US special forces had travelled to Jordan in the summer to help the country prepare for the training of the militants.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.