Reuters reports that “the U.S. military said on Friday it has started training dozens of Syrian opposition fighters to battle the militant group Islamic State as part of a revamped program that aims to avoid mistakes that doomed its first training effort in Turkey last year.”  

“Training for the first group of recruits includes how to identify targets for U.S.-led coalition airstrikes to allow coalition aircraft to better strike Islamic State from the air.”  

“‘That allows us to bring significantly more fires into play in any of these skirmishes, battles, and firefights that are taking place throughout Syria,’ said U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition.”