AlQa'dah 6, 1433, Sep 22, 2012, SPA -- The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has moved its leadership for the first time from Turkey to parts of Syria that are now controlled by opposition fighters, Reuters quoted the group's commander-in-chief as saying on Saturday. The FSA has been based in Turkey for more than a year as fighters have struggled to battle forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Although opposition fighters now control large swathes of Syria, they face air and artillery attack from Assad's forces. "The leadership of the FSA has entered the liberated areas (of Syria) after the success of the plan that the FSA has worked on with other battalions and units in order to safeguard the free areas," Colonel Riad al-Asaad said in a video statement. An opposition source said that the colonel arrived in Syria two days ago. "The plan is that all the leadership of the FSA will be based in Syria soon, either in Idlib province or Aleppo province," the source told Reuters, adding that the move would be completed within two weeks. The FSA is the most prominent of several armed groups fighting to overthrow Assad. In the video, posted on the web, the opposition colonel said his men would "fight side-by-side" with all groups and planned to take the capital Damascus soon. -- SPA
