Area of operations Syria | Part of Free Syrian Army | |
Active 7 December 2012 – 26 June 2014 Allegiance Syrian National Council Leaders Brig. Gen. Salim Idris (first commander, 2012–14)
Brig. Gen. Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir al-Noeimi (second commander, Feb. – Jun. 2014)
Col. Qasim Saad al-Din (spokesman) | ||
The Supreme Military Council (SMC) (Arabic: المجلس العسكري الأعلى, also called the Supreme Military Command or the Higher Military Council in Aleppo) was the highest military leadership of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) from late 2012 to mid-2014. It was headed by brigadier general Abdelkarim al-Ahmed. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 7 December 2012 with the backing of western and Arab powers as a means of financing and arming Syrian rebel forces.
The Supreme Military Council of the FSA supported the Syrian National Council (SNC). It also recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the "civil authority" of the Syrian opposition.
History
On 7 December 2012, 260 rebel commanders from all over Syria agreed to a unified command structure of the Free Syrian Army. The participants elected a 30-member Supreme Military Council, which then selected Brigadier General Salim Idris as Chief of Staff. The council was created with the backing of western powers and many Arab states as a vehicle to finance and arm rebel groups.
In July 2013, a member of the SMC met with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Latakia Governorate, which resulted in him being killed by ISIL. ISIL then threatened to kill all SMC members.
On 16 February 2014, the Supreme Military Council announced that Idris was replaced with Colonel Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir, head of the FSA's Quneitra Military Council. 4 months later on 26 June 2014, Abdullah al-Bashir was sacked by the SNC and the Supreme Military Council was dissolved.