BEIRUT, (AFP) - Syria's main opposition National Coalition said on Saturday it "fully supports" rebels fighting a powerful Al-Qaeda affiliate in northern Syria, two days into major battles between opposition fighters and jihadists.

"The Syrian Opposition Coalition fully supports ongoing efforts by Free Syrian Army elements to liberate towns and neighbourhoods from the authoritarian oppression" of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the group's presidency said in a statement.