But Naimi 's claim was quickly rejected by another defecting officer , Col. Riad al Assad , who spent much of the last year claiming to lead a `` Free Syrian Army '' of rebel soldiers from a refugee camp on the Turkish border with Syria . ` Various sources say they are the lead rebels . ` ` Higher Military Council , '' ` ` Free Syrian Army '' are two of the rebel groups . A third says it is rebels battling government forces in the besieged city of Aleppo .
Various sources say they are the lead rebels . ` ` Higher Military Council , '' ` ` Free Syrian Army '' are two of the rebel groups . A third says it is rebels battling government forces in the besieged city of Aleppo .