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Turkey and the United States signed an agreement Thursday to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting ISIS, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara said, The Daily Star reported, citing news agencies.

The two countries have been in talks about such a pact for several months. The agreement was signed Thursday evening by U.S. Ambassador John Bass and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, Embassy spokesman Joe Wierichs said. He gave no further details.

Sinirlioglu called the deal “an important step” in the strategic partnership between Turkey and the United States, according to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish government has said the training by U.S. and Turkish soldiers could begin as early as next month at a base in the central Anatolian city of Kirsehir, and involve hundreds of Syrian fighters in the first year.

The U.S. has said the goal is to go after ISIS, but Turkish officials have suggested that the trained rebels could also target the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad.