US military patrol, Tal Afar, Iraq.

The Times – Three hundred US Marines have been deployed to northern Jordan to pave the way for the West to arm Syrian rebels.

A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, designed to protect Jordanian territory from attack by Assad missiles, has also been moved into the area.

The deployment, seen by The Times north of Al-Mafraq, has been put in place under cover of a military training exercise being held this week, but it will remain there for months.

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