NEW YORK, Nov 7: Saudi Arabia, after having lost faith in the Obama administration’s efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government, has decided to begin a major effort with Pakistan to train Syrian rebel forces, Foreign Policy magazine said on Thursday.

The magazine said Pakistan’s role is so far relatively small, though another source with knowledge of Saudi thinking said that a plan was currently being debated to give Pakistan responsibility for training two rebel brigades, or around 5,000 to 10,000 fighters. Carnegie Middle East Centre fellow Yezid Sayigh first noted the use of Pakistani instructors, writing that the Saudis were planning to build a Syrian rebel army of roughly 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers.

“The only way Assad will think about giving up power is if he’s faced with the threat of a credible, armed force,” said the Saudi insider.

A State Department official declined to comment on the Saudi training programme, the magazine said.