Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has warned the Syrian opposition of attempts by radical groups to “hijack” the Syrian revolution.
The opposition Syrian National Council is based in Turkey and has no control over the escalating violence.
Clinton criticised the make-up of the SNC, saying that the leadership should be more representative of those resisting on the ground.
"There has to be a representation of those who are in the front lines fighting and dying," she told reporters.
"This cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but who, in many instances, have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years."
She said that the rebels should "strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution".
Syria’s fractured opposition is meeting in Doha next week and Clinton said Washington would like to assist the opposition to come up with an efficient strategy to unify and work towards a political transition.
