Al-Nusra Front Chief Announces Break with al-Qaida

[TomSea]

Al-Nusra Front Chief Announces Break with al-Qaida

The Syrian branch of al-Qaida, al-Nusra Front, announced Thursday it was breaking ties with the global terror network, in a video showing its leader Abu Mohamad al-Jolani for the first time.

The footage broadcast by Al-Jazeera news channel follows several days of online chatter over a split between al-Qaida and its Syria affiliate, a main rival of the Islamic State jihadist group from which it wants to distance itself as a target of foreign air strikes.

Appearing in public for the first time, Jolani said al-Nusra would change its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front of the Conquest of Syria) and unify ranks with other mainstream fighters in Syria.

"We decided to stop operating under the banner of al-Nusra and to set up a new front, called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham," said Jolani.

More At: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/213836-al-nusra-front-chief-announces-break-with-al-qaida