- Opposition group: At least nine people are killed Monday across Syria
- Four people are gunned down in Homs while trying to retrieve bodies, the group says
- Turkey suspends operations of its embassy in Damascus
Istanbul (CNN) -- Disjointed factions of the Syrian opposition are meeting Monday in Istanbul in an effort to form a unified voice ahead of the next week's "Friends of Syria" conference.
Observers of the Syrian crisis have bemoaned a lack of unity among the various Syrian opposition groups as they struggle to topple President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
The goal of Monday's conference is "for all forces and parties of the opposition not to be a union, but at least to have a united purpose," said Amar Qurabi, leader of the National Change Current opposition group.
National Change Current is not a member of the Syrian National Council, a coalition that has gained recognition from the United States, France and other countries as a legitimate representative of the Syrian opposition.
The SNC was the only opposition body represented at the first "Friends of Syria" conference, held last month in Tunisia. Dozens of international leaders at the summit condemned the Syrian regime's deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters and expressed support for the Syrian opposition and the need for humanitarian aid in the country.
Bassam Imadi, a former Syrian ambassador to Sweden and a member of the Syrian National Council, said Monday's meeting "is probably going to enlarge and restructure the SNC." He predicted four opposition groups that had previously refused to join the SNC would agree to join by the end of this week.
"I always ask the SNC to restructure and involve everyone else," he said.
While foreign-based opposition members meet in Turkey, reports of terror and carnage mounted again inside Syria.
At least nine people were killed across Syria on Monday, the opposition Syrian Network for Human Rights said. The dead include four men gunned down in Homs when residents tried to retrieve two bodies, the group said.
Also on Monday, Turkey announced it has suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus, a spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry said. Turkey's consulate in Aleppo is still functioning, said the spokesman, Selcuk Unal.
Despite reports of at least 70 people killed on Sunday, anti-government protesters took to the streets again in 18 places across the country, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
CNN cannot independently confirm reports from inside Syria because the government severely restricts access by international journalists.
Monday's opposition meeting in Istanbul comes two days after a top military defector said armed rebel groups have aligned under the leadership of the Free Syrian Army.
Uniting all efforts will bolster the anti-regime movement and safeguard the nation, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Sheikh said in a video posted on YouTube.
The move addressed a key concern for observers of the Syrian crisis both inside and outside the country -- that armed rebel groups were disjointed and divided.
"In these critical and difficult times that our beloved country is going through, all the honorable men and women in this nation are required to work on uniting all efforts to overthrow this corrupt regime," Sheikh said.
The Syrian government routinely blames the vaguely defined "armed terrorist groups" for violence in the country, while most reports from inside Syria indicate the government is slaughtering civilians in an attempt to wipe out dissidents.
The United Nations estimates the Syrian conflict has killed more than 8,000 people; opposition activists put the toll at more than 10,000.
CNN's Saad Abedine and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
