The consequences of al-Nusra renouncing its ties to al-Qaida, something the affiliate’s leaders have debated since August 2014, offers the group hope of receiving substantial aid from Gulf states.
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Listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Nusra Front was excluded from Syria’s February cessation of hostilities truce and Russian Federation and the United States are also discussing closer coordination to target the group. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday the USA continues to assess that Nusra leaders intend to attack the West and said the U.S.-led military campaign is focused on a number of extremist groups, including Nusra and the Islamic State group. Al-Nusra’s media arm, Al Manara Al-Bayda, also announced that the group’s head, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was to deliver a speech and posted a picture showing him for the first time.
After that declaration, Daesh pushed Al Nusra out of its base in eastern Syria’s oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor. Masri spoke in an audio message released Thursday by al Nusra.
Unlike the IS group, which opposes all those who fail to swear allegiance, Al-Nusra has worked alongside an array of rebel groups fighting Assad’s regime and has popular support.
The US responded by saying it saw no reason to change its view of the group as a terrorist organisation.
In a video aired on the Syrian opposition station Orient TV and Al-Jazeera al-Golani said the delinking from the terror network aimed to remove pretexts by the USA and Russian Federation to strike other rebel groups while claiming they are targeting Nusra.
He says al-Qaida would have no problem with “any possible action” al-Nusra’s leaders take to boost unity among anti-Assad rebel factions and form a “new generation” of fighters. Nusra’s purported break with al-Qaida could ease its reluctance. It has been the target of both Russian and US-led coalition air strikes. Officially terroristic organizations announced about this fact on Thursday.
On that note, Jolani actually thanked his “brothers” in Al-Qaeda in the speech, and said “their blessed leadership has and shall continue to be an exemplar of putting the needs of the community and their higher interests before the interest of any individual group”.
“Al Qaeda is playing a critically important role in shaping this development and their thinking and strategising will remain crucial for this new Jabhat Fateh al-Sham movement”, he said.
So it’s declaring a name change and no “external entities”.
Pierret said: “Qatar has long tolerated private fundraising for Al-Nusra from its territory and Turkey has facilitated Al-Nusra’s operations along its border”. Consequently, any future intervention against Nusra will be perceived by opposition Syrians as a de facto move in support of the Assad regime, he said. As David Cameron once said, “We should be intolerant of intolerance”, and as we are seeing around the world there is nothing more intolerant than an armed jihadist group.
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He continued: “The US will go ahead to uproot Nusra”.
