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By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun vetting a group of Syrian rebels eligible for training and assistance in the fight against Islamic State militants, a step that paves the way for training to begin in weeks, the Pentagon said on Friday. Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said about 100 moderate Syrian rebels had been vetted to participate in the training and assistance effort, with no derogatory information uncovered to weigh against their involvement. "Our assessment is we could be ready sometime within the next four to six weeks to begin actual training," Kirby told a Pentagon briefing, noting that the vetting was "an important first step." A week ago, the United States and Turkey signed an agreement to use a site in Turkey for the effort. The site is one of four where U.S. and coalition partners may offer training to Syrian rebels to fight against Islamic State militants.
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