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US trains Syrian civilians to destroy explosives

The United States is getting scores of Syrian locals ready to deal with explosives left behind by the Islamic State.
Members of Roj Mine Control Organization search for mines and explosive devices planted by Islamic State militants to disarm them near Ain Issa village north of Raqqa, Syria, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1FCEC4E0B0

The United States is getting scores of Syrian locals ready to deal with explosives left behind by a rapidly disintegrating Islamic State (IS).

Over the summer, a State Department-led program trained 120 local Syrians to remove and destroy mines in the northern town of Manbij, where a small number of US troops are deployed, Al-Monitor has learned.

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