Syrian National Council elects leader for political fight against Assad

Syria's opposition has elected a new president to represent it as the battle on the ground rages. Meanwhile, two members of a German aid group who went missing in Syria are said to be alive, well, and on their way home.

The opposition coalition also elected three vice presidents: Salem al-Muslit, Suhair Atassi and Mohammed Farouk Taifour, a senior official with Syria's Muslim Brotherhood. The coalition voted for Badr Jamous as secretary-general.

The meeting represents the second attempt in recent months to unify the opposition. The SNC counts on little support inside Syria, where civilians primarily concern themselves with trying to survive the third summer of a conflict that has killed more than 93,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. In late May, the opposition leaders met for more than a week in Istanbul, but failed to elected new leaders or devise a strategy for possible peace talks that the U.S. and Russia have been trying to convene in Geneva.

'Pray for him'

Although the German Foreign Ministry announced the release of two citizens, the fate of a third missing person is unknown. The Grünhelme (Green Helmets) aid organization announced last weekend that three of its members were missing and were believed to have been kidnapped. According to Grünhelme, they were taken by unknown persons on May 14, from the town of Harem in Syria's Idlib district.