Syria's opposition leaders have agreed to come under a united command in a bid to integrate diverse fighting groups and streamline the route for arms essential to their struggle against President Bashar al-Assad.

The new body, expected to be announced officially on Sunday, hopes to form the basis of a united opposition front.

About 500 delegates elected the 30-person Supreme Military Council and a Chief of Staff on Friday in Turkish resort of Antalya and planned to meet soon with representatives from the opposition's newly re-organized political leadership, participants said.

"The aim of this meeting was to unify the armed opposition to bring down the regime," said an opposition commander from Damascus who attended the meeting. "It also aims to get the situation under control once the regime falls."

The US is expected to recognize it at an international "Friends of Syria" conference in Marakesh, Morocco, that begins on Wednesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Free Syrian Army fighters walk up a street in Karam Shamsham in Homs December 8, 2012.

Al-Jazeera