A vote granting authority for the US military to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels is an important step toward confronting the Islamic State (IS) group, President Barack Obama said.

The Republican-controlled House voted overwhelmingly to authorise the programme. A Senate vote is expected as early as today.

Mr Obama says the House vote shows there is bipartisan support for a critical component of his strategy to confront IS extremists, who have seized territory in Iraq and Syria.

The president says the training will not be conducted in Syria and US military personnel will not be on the ground in Syria as part of the programme.

He says the US has learned from fighting al Qaida that it is better to use America's capabilities to help partners on the ground defend themselves.

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