Syrian factions form common fronts against Assad’s army

Field commanders of the Syrian opposition have joined forces to form five common fronts against the Army of President Bashar al-Assad in frontlines in the north, south, west, east and centeral areas of the country.

In a joint statement the opposition commanders said the formation of the five fronts will help coordinate their efforts and improve their special operations against the regime forces.

“With god’s help, your brothers managed to form the general command of the central front to be a military gathering of the Free Syrian Army fighters and revolutionaries who defend their people and seek justice,” according to the statement aired on Al Arabiya.

“We affirm to our great people our absolute responsibility toward God in the battle of liberation in cooperation with other fronts under the principle that freedom is the right of everyone and spreading the values of justice and equality between the people of one nation,” the statement said.

The move followed accusations that the lack of field organization between various armed groups of the Syrian opposition was giving ground for extremist groups to prevail.

Syria’s splintered opposition factions had begun talks in Qatar on Sunday on forging a common front for their war against the army of President Bashar al-Assad.

It was the first concerted attempt to meld opposition groups based abroad and align them with rebels fighting in Syria, to help end a 19-month-old conflict that has killed more than 32,000 people and devastated swathes of the major Arab country. The war threatens to widen into a regional sectarian conflagration.

Tensions between Islamists and secularists as well as between those inside Syria and opposition figures based abroad have thwarted prior attempts to forge a united opposition and analysts sounded a note of caution about the five-day talks.

Washington is pressing for a makeover of the opposition, with long-time dissident Riad Seif reportedly touted as the potential head of a new government-in-exile dubbed the Syrian National Initiative.

Seif and about two dozen other leading opposition figures gathered in Amman on Thursday and came up with proposals for a new body to represent the disparate groups opposing Assad.

Clinton has voiced frustration with the SNC, saying the exiled group was not representative of on-the-ground opposition forces and that it "can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition."

Washington later denied it was trying to dictate to the opposition, insisting it was simply seeking to ensure that more voices were heard.

While rebel fighters have been on the offensive on the ground, especially in northern Syria, the SNC has been on the defensive over a video posted on the Internet that appears to show opposition fighters beating and executing soldiers.

The SNC called for those responsible to be held accountable.

The meeting in Qatar, a key backer of the revolt in Syria, was originally due to take place on October 17 but postponed because of what an SNC official said was a flood of requests to join the group.

However, other SNC sources said the delay reflected deep internal tensions.

The SNC has emerged as the interlocutor of the international community since its creation around six months after the March 2011 start of the uprising which monitors say has cost more than 36,000 lives.

But divisions have dogged opposition ranks. Some groups -- unlike the SNC -- staunchly oppose foreign intervention and violent regime change.