CAIRO

Syrian opposition leader Ahmad Jarba arrived in Cairo Wednesday morning on a previously unannounced visit for talks with Arab League and Egyptian officials.

Jarba, the head of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the main Syrian opposition alliance, arrived on a private jet from Lebanon, security sources at Cairo airport told Anadolu Agency.

He is expected to hold talks with Arab League and Egyptian officials on the outcome of the Geneva II talks.

Geneva II, aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis in violence-wracked Syria, started in Switzerland on January 22, but it wrapped up last Friday with no deal reached. A further round is planned for next week.

Jarba's visit – the second to Egypt in two months – was not announced in advance by the Syrian opposition alliance.

Syria has been in the throes of conflict since 2011 when a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad escalated into civil war following a violent government crackdown.

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 136,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in March 2011.

By Mustafa Youssef

englishnews@aa.com.tr