国际英语新闻:Islamic State in Syria possesses war jets: activists

DAMASCUS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) terror group is in possession of three war jets ready to fly and maneuver in northern Syria, a monitoring group reported Friday.

The IS fighters have become in possession of three war jets believed to be MiG-21 and MiG-23, which are able to fly and maneuver, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on ground.

It said that IS fighters, who are former Iraqi officers from the military of late Iraqi President Saddam Hussain, are training other experienced IS fighters to fly the war jets, which had been captured by the IS from Syrian military bases in the provinces of Raqqa and Aleppo in northern Syria.

It also said the IS fighters are being trained to use the war jets in the military airbase of Jarrah in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, adding that the base has recently been used by the IS as a training camp.

Citing witnesses in Aleppo, the Observatory said some of the people of Aleppo had seen at least one war jet flying at low altitude over the Jarrah airbase.

Meanwhile, the Observatory said it had no information whether the terror group has any missiles that could be fired from the war jets.

The Damascus administration has yet to comment on the report.

In a separate report Friday, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV cited what it described as "trusted sources" as revealing that the United States is training pilots in the state of Arizona to carry out missions in Syria.

The report said the new trainees are being prepared to be the " core" of an air force which would strike positions in Syria to enable the ground opposition troops to move freely on Syrian soil, noting that the training courses are being held in the dessert of Arizona on British-made war jets known as Strike Master.

It said the "Syrian opposition pilots" may get equipped with such war jets later to be part of the new air force that is being prepared.

The U.S. Congress has recently authorized the training and financing of "vetted" and "moderate" Syrian rebels in order to fight the Islamic State on ground in Syria and would later turn to battle the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.