Rebel's Chiefs of Staff exclude al-Qaeda affiliates from its expansion list

Rebel's Chiefs of Staff has excluded al-Qaeda affiliates from its expansion list, source said to Zaman Alwasl.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in The Free Syrian Army hold consultations meetings for few days, started yesterday  in Antakya, Turkey to discus expanding the body of FSA with more faction and Islamic brigades under the leadership of Gen. Salim Idriss where the chiefs have excluded Jabhat al-Nusra and The Islamic State of al-Iraq and al-Sham from the list, source reported.

This step comes after the rebel groups have become increasingly fractured, with Islamic extremists, including those linked to al-Qaida, assuming prominent roles in battle.

 The Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011 as a popular uprising against Assad that quickly escalated into civil war. More than 115,000 people have been killed since then and millions of Syrians have been displaced.