Syrian Opposition Forms Bureau to Lead 'Armed Resistance'

The opposition Syrian National Council announced Wednesday setting up a military bureau to supervise the "armed resistance" against the regime, as Washington raised fears of al-Qaida taking advantage of arming the rebellion.

"The SNC has decided to set up a military bureau, acknowledging the importance of putting controls on the armed resistance in Syria and in support of the Free (Syrian) Army," the umbrella exile-alliance of several opposition groups said in a statement.

It said the new body will be made of officers and civilians and will be charged with "organizing the ranks of the armed resistance forces, as well as assessing its needs and managing its finances and operations."

The armed rebellion will be "put under the political supervision of the SNC," it said.

Mohammed al-Sarmini, a spokesman of the SNC, told Agence France Presse that the decision was taken in "coordination" with the rebel Free Syrian Army, comprised mainly of army deserters.

He said the head of the SNC, Burhan Ghalioun, was to hold a press conference on Thursday in Paris to give further details on the new body.

The White House said Tuesday that al-Qaida's efforts to take advantage of violence in Syria meant now is not the time to send arms to rebels in Syria, days after Saudi Arabia and Qatar appeared in favor of arming the rebels in the face of a deadly crackdown by regime forces.

More than 7,500 people have been killed in Syria since protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011, according to U.N. figures.