Idris quits 'Syrian National Coalition'
Iran Press TV
Thu Feb 20, 2014 11:14AM GMT
Divisions among foreign-sponsored opposition groups in Syria have further widened as senior militant commanders sever their ties with the Syrian National Coalition (SNC).
General Salim Idris, the former commander of the anti-Damascus militancy group called Free Syrian Army (FSA), announced on Wednesday his departure from the coalition along with more than a dozen other fellow militant commanders.
Speaking in a video statement, flanked by several top field commanders of the FSA Supreme Military Council (SMC), Idris said, "We... have been asked to start working on a total restructuring of the SMC."
The militant commanders are angry over a recent decision by the Syrian National Coalition to dismiss Idris as the head of its military wing and replace him with General Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir.
The development comes after dozens of foreign-backed militant groups announced their separation from the SNC and the FSA last year over differences on leadership.
The military wing of the Western-backed Syrian opposition announced on February 16 that it has sacked its chief of staff due to difficulties in the war they have imposed against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The FSA declared Bashir as the replacement for Idris in a statement posted online.
The anti-Damascus military coalition was established in 2011.
MFB/HSN/HMV
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