Salim Idris

Brigadier General Salim Idris (born c. 1957) is the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) of the Free Syrian Army, which is the main Syrian armed opposition group. He has a PhD in "electronic radars" and speaks five languages, including English. An East German-trained electronics professor, he was a general in the Syrian Army when he defected in July 2012. General Idris is widely considered to represent the moderate elements of Syria's armed opposition, as armed opposition leaders under his leadership have subscribed to the pro-democracy Proclamation of Principles.

General Idris was elected as the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Military Council following its establishment in a conference held in Turkey on 15 December 2012. At the conference, over 550 members of the Syrian revolutionary council, brigades, and battalion commands elected 261 representatives to form the Revolutionary Force Authority. Thirty members were elected to form the SMC, which includes five combat Fronts covering Syria's 14 provinces.

General Idris has become increasingly engaged with soliciting aid from Western nations since his initial request of specialized training and non-lethal material support from the United States in February 2013. On 30 April 2013 the United States began deliveries of ready-to-eat rations and Warrior Aid and Litter Kits (WALK) to the Free Syrian Army under the oversight of General Idris, in what was the first U.S. delivery of tangible aid to Syria's armed opposition. General Idris has issued letters and statements to Secretary of State John Kerry, President Barack Obama, and the United Nations Security Council to encourage international intervention and support in the ongoing Syrian civil war. In a 8 June 2013 interview with the New York Times, Idris outlined that continued international support for the Free Syrian Army, including "game-changing weapons," were required as a precondition for his attendance at planned negotiations with Bashar al-Assad in Geneva.

In December 2013, General Idris was reportedly driven out of his headquarters in northern Syria by the Islamic Front and is now in exile in Doha, Qatar. However, the FSA has denied that Idris has left Syria. A few days later, Syrian National Coalition (SNC) Chief of Staff Monzer Akbik said that General Idris "has failed to make an institution, I don't think everything can continue in the same way."