BEIRUT — The chief of Syria’s main Western-backed rebel group has vowed to continue fighting until President Bashar Assad’s “criminal” regime is gone.

Gen. Salim Idris’s remarks today were meant to mark the second anniversary of the Syrian uprising.

Idris calls on regime soldiers to join the rebels in a “fight for freedom and democracy.” He says the opposition’s task is “not easy” but pledged to continue despite his fighters suffering severe weapons shortages.

The head of the Supreme Military Council spoke from a location inside Syria through video, addressing the Syrian people.