REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MOSCOW - The US government has declared that it is planning to provide training for 5000 Syrian opposition fighters annually in order to battle IS militants, Washington Times reports.

According to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, Saudi Arabia will support US government in its efforts and take an active part in the announced training program. 

"We think that, now that we've got a partner in the region to help us with the training, is that we could train more than 5,000 fighters over the course of one year," said Kirby, adding that the training process is expected to be implemented phase-by-phase.

On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama announced the establishment of a broad international coalition, aimed at countering and destroying the Islamic State terrorist organization, TIME reports. He confirmed his intention to use hard-power measures if necessary and declared readiness to deploy additional 475 American troops in Iraq 'to expand the advisory, training and surveillance missions'.

However, the efficiency of US counterterrorism policy is questioned by a number of political leaders, as it doesn't address root causes of terrorism and is likely to cause waves of hatred in the region. For example, Iran holds US military involvement in Syria and Iraq is a violation of their state sovereignty and is strongly prohibited by international law.

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