Al-Nusra Front

The al-Nusra Front , or Jabhat al-Nusra ( Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām , "The Support Front for the People of Al-Sham ", JaN or JN ), sometimes called Tanzim Qa'edat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Sham or al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant , is a branch of al-Qaeda operating in Syria and Lebanon. The group announced its formation on 23 January 2012, during the Syrian Civil War . Since then, it has been described as both "the most aggressive and successful" and "one of the most effective rebel forces" in Syria, and has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey. Since early 2015, there have been persistent reports of the al-Nusra Front considering leaving al-Qaeda and planning to abandon its current name and merge with smaller Islamist groups, such as Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar , in order to form a new entity that will receive funding from the Gulf States. However, in a statement issued on 9 March 2015, the group reaffirmed its allegiance to al-Qaeda and denied plans to break away from it. Australian National Security . 28 June 2013 . Institute for the Study of War . "Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State" . 4 May 2015 . The Daily Sabah. 14 April 2015 . Long War Journal . 4 April 2014 . Rebels fighting in southern Syria will not cooperate militarily with Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, a spokesman said Wednesday [...] "We reject all forms of cooperation with Nusra Front because keeping silent on its excesses, its statements and its violations will only allow them to continue," Rayes told AFP. "اشتباكات بين حركة وحزم وجبهة النصرة في ريف حلب الغربي وريف إدلب" . المرصد السورى لحقوق الإنسان . "The Nusra Front storms the village of Ayn Laroz and arrests dozens of people, including fighters" . Syrian Observatory For Human Rights . "Hezbollah fighters and the "jihadis:" Mad, drugged, homicidal, and hungry" . al-Akhbar English . "Jabhat al-Nusra, IS clash in Daraa" . 16 December 2014 . Al Qaeda-linked group Al Nusra Front claims deadly car bombing in Lebanese capital Beirut ABC , 21 January 2014 "Islamist group claims Syria bombs 'to avenge Sunnis' " . But is he lucky to have them?" . The Christian Science Monitor . (in July 2013) "Britain bans Syria's al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front on terrorism grounds" . (in December 2012) "US blacklists Syrian rebel group al-Nusra" .

Front of the Supporters ), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ) after July 2016, and also described as al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant , was a Salafist jihadist organization fighting against Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War . Its aim was to establish an Islamic state in the country. Formed in 2012, in November of that year The Washington Post described al-Nusra as "the most aggressive and successful" of the rebel forces. In December 2012, the United States Department of State designated it a foreign terrorist organization, and in April 2013, it became the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda . In March 2015, the group joined with other jihadist groups to form the Army of Conquest . In July 2016, al-Nusra formally re-branded as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant"). On 28 January 2017, following violent clashes with Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel groups, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham merged with four other groups to become Hayat Tahrir al-Sham . However, Tahrir al-Sham has officially denied being part of al-Qaeda and said in a statement that the group is "an independent entity and not an extension of previous organizations or factions". Thomson Reuters Foundation . 28 January 2017 . Christian Science Monitor . 4 May 2015 . The New York Times . 15 May 2016 . Middle East Eye . 30 October 2017 . Long War Journal . 4 April 2014 . "من هي جبهة النصرة الجهادية التي تقاتل مع الجيش السوري الحر؟" . مراقبون - فرانس 24 . "Hezbollah fighters and the "jihadis" Mad, drugged, homicidal, and hungry" . al-Akhbar English . "Jabhat al-Nusra, IS clash in Daraa" . 16 December 2014.

Jihadist organization in the Syrian Civil War Al-Nusra Front , also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant , was a Salafi jihadist organization fighting against Syrian Ba'athist government forces in the Syrian Civil War . Its aim was to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic state in Syria. Formed in 2012, in November of that year The Washington Post described al-Nusra as "the most aggressive and successful" of the rebel forces. While secular and pro-democratic rebel groups of the Syrian Revolution such as the Free Syrian Army were focused on ending the decades-long reign of Assad family , al-Nusra Front also sought the unification of Islamist forces in a post-Assad Syria, anticipating a new stage of the civil war. It denounced the international assistance in support of the Syrian opposition as " imperialism "; viewing it as a long-term threat to its Islamist goals in Syria. In December 2012, US Department of State designated it as a " foreign terrorist organization ". In April 2013, Al-Nusra Front was publicly confirmed as the official Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda , after Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri rejected the forced merger attempted by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and ordered the dissolution of newly-formed Islamic State of Iraq and Levant . In March 2015, the militia joined other Syrian Islamist groups to form a joint command center called the Army of Conquest . In July 2016, al-Nusra formally re-designated itself from Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant") and officially announced that it was breaking ties with Al-Qaeda. The announcement caused defections of senior Al-Nusra commanders and criticism from al-Qaeda ranks, provoking a harsh rebuke from Ayman al-Zawahiri , who denounced it as an "act of disobedience". On 28 January 2017, following violent clashes with Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel groups, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) merged with four other groups to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham , a new Sunni Islamist militant group. Tahrir al-Sham denies any links to the al-Qaeda network and said in a statement that the group is "an independent entity and not an extension of previous organizations or factions". Mutual hostilities eventually deteriorated into one of violent confrontations, with Al-Nusra commander Sami al-Oraydi accusing HTS of adopting nationalist doctrines. Sami al-Oraydi, alongside other Al-Qaeda loyalists like Abu Humam al-Shami , Abu Julaybib and others, mobilised Al-Qaeda personnel in northwestern Syria to establish an anti-HTS front in north-western Syria, eventually forming Hurras al-Din on 27 February 2018. Thomson Reuters Foundation . 28 January 2017 . Middle East Eye . 30 October 2017 . Long War Journal . 4 April 2014 . "من هي جبهة النصرة الجهادية التي تقاتل مع الجيش السوري الحر؟" . مراقبون - فرانس 24 . 13 December 2012. "Hezbollah fighters and the "jihadis" Mad, drugged, homicidal, and hungry" . al-Akhbar English . "Jabhat al-Nusra, IS clash in Daraa" . 16 December 2014. The New York Times . United States Department of State . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).