Infografía: Fuerzas militares y políticas en el conflicto sirio

Interactive: Mapping Syria's rebellion

Al Jazeera examines the military and political opposition groups trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Military Forces

Syria's opposition took up arms against President Bashar al-Assad's regime following a heavy military crackdown by his troops.

But more than two years on, the rebels have not managed to form a united front in their fight against the regime.

The map below gives a rough snapshot of the military opposition in Syria. It shows battalions formally under the command of the Council and the most influential independent groups. In addition to those shown on the chart, there are many less prominent and less public groups fighting in the country.

Since Syrians first took up arms against the regime, hundreds of battalions have emerged. What began as modest armed resistance has flourished with the help of money from Syrian businessmen, expats and Arab philanthropists, and by funding from foreign states.

While united in the goal of removing Assad from power, the groups disagree on how to depose him, who should replace him and what the future of Syria should look like.

The groups have different ideologies and interests that - in many cases - mirror those of their donors. Ultra-conservative foreign fighters, some affiliated with al-Qaeda, have made their way into the country.

In an attempt to unite the different armed groups and to isolate what were seen as extremist elements, the Syrian Supreme Military Council was set up with the backing of Western and regional powers.

The Council, led by defected general Salim Idriss, claims it commands about 900 groups and a total of at least 300,000 fighters. Many of the groups are poorly armed, with basic military training. Most commanders of large groups say that while they are officially under the banner of the Council, they receive little or no financial and military assistance from it.

Political Forces