The Syrian Opposition and the Revolutionary Forces (SMDK) are expected to open an office in northern Syria's al-Rai, which, according to the group's officials, can be considered as a first step paving way to return Syria for refugees.

"The high council of Syrian opposition arrived at al-Rai from Gaziantep to open the office. It is an important first step for Syrian opposition to return Syria," Abdullah Gedo, a SMDK official, told the Russian news service Sputnik. In March, the organization opened a land registry office in northern Syria's Azaz with the support of Turkey. Speaking at the opening of the building, Gedo said that they aim to prevent dispossession of properties with the office.

The SMDK, also named as the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), is an opposition coalition founded in Doha, Qatar, during the Syrian Civil War, in November 2012. Since 2013, it has been recognized as sole representative of the Syrian people. The organization's headquarters are currently located in Istanbul. The civil war in Syria erupted in 2011 when the Assad regime harshly responded to protesters who had poured into the streets to demand more rights and freedom. To date an estimated 500,000 people have been killed in the war. So far, around 6 million people have been displaced internally and another 5 million were driven abroad as refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, according to U.N. figures.