US Citizen Chosen as Syrian Rebel’s Interim Leader

Syrian rebels have narrowly elected a Syrian with American citizenship as their interim leader, opponents say the move is ridiculous because of their lack of solid control of rebels over parts of Syria.

The rebel’s leader is Ghassan Hitto, 50, an information technology executive who lived in Texas until recently, The New York Times reported. The Obama administration has been pressuring rebels to setup an alternative government to help establish clear channels for directing aid to them.

Hitto narrowly defeated a former minister of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but critics said the vote is meaningless because Assad’s Air Force controls the skies over Syria.

Hitto left his career as an information technology executive and traveled to help rebels in Syria in the footsteps of his son, one of four children born in the United States to him and his wife, an American school teacher.