Norway to send 60 soldiers to train Syrians fighting IS

Norway announced Monday that it would deploy 60 soldiers to train Syrians fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, boosting its involvement in the international coalition against the jihadists. The soldiers belonging to the Norwegian special forces would conduct the training in Jordan, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said at a press conference in Oslo. "The brutal acts by IS have cost many civilians their lives and led an even greater number to flee (the country)," Solberg said. The IS group has also "brought terrorism to Europe and young people are radicalised and recruited in order to have foreign fighters," she added. The Syrian groups that will be trained by the Norwegian soldiers were not identified , but according to Defence Minister Ine Eriksen SoreidIne Eriksen, they were chosen following a "thorough and systematic" selection process. "One condition for our support is that their operations be directed against IS and that they do not harm any of the current peace efforts in Syria," Soreide said. Norway is already involved in the anti-IS coalition, in particular by training Kurdish peshmerga fighters in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.