A senior al-Qaeda figure has urged the group to do what is necessary to protect the "holy struggle of the Syrian people." Washington voiced skepticism over the split, saying it could be an exercise in rebranding.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Hussein Malla
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Syria's Nusra Front chief, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, on Thursday announced that the militant group he leads will formally split from its affiliate al-Qaeda and rebrand itself as the "Levant Conquest Front."
"We must declare the complete cancellation of all operations under the name of al-Nusra Front, and the formation of a new group operating under the name 'Levant Conquest Front,' not that this new organization has no affiliation to any external entity," al-Jolani said in a video aired on Qatar's al-Jazeera English channel.
Nusra Front entered the Syrian conflict in January 2012. However, it only pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda in 2013 after rejecting calls to join the "Islamic State" militant group, which it views as a key rival.
The announcement comes after a senior al-Qaeda figure blessed Nusra Front's anticipated move in a recorded message circulated online.
"We direct the leadership of Nusra Front to go ahead with what preserves the good of Islam and the Muslims, and protects the holy struggle of the Syrian people," said al-Qaeda deputy leader Ahmed Hassan Abu el-Kheir.
"We urge them to take the appropriate steps towards this matter," Abu el-Kheir added.
The recording also included a brief remark from al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri, saying: "The brotherhood of Islam is stronger than any organizational links that change and go away." However, it is unclear when al-Zawahri made the statement.
Terrorist group?
By December 2012, Nusra Front had become one of the preeminent rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
That month, the US State Department labeled the opposition group a "terrorist organization," saying it is "little more than a front" for al-Qaeda in Syria.
Washington on Wednesday said it sees no reason to change their position on Nusra Front, but will continue to assess the situation, the group's actions and its ideological positioning.
Last week, the US State Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said both countries had agreed to continue targeting the "Islamic State" and Nusra Front as they push for another "cessation of hostilities."
However, Nusra Front's decision to distance itself from its ideological center and rebrand itself could make it easier for other rebel groups to fight alongside with the group without possible recourse, although it is unclear how this will effect Washington and Russia's choice of targets.
How the Syrian civil war began - and gave 'Islamic State' room to grow
Although the emergence of "IS" prompted international intervention in Syria, the jihadist group entered the conflict late in the game. DW examines how the war created space for this terrorist group to expand.
Image: AP
The "Arab Spring" effect
In 2011, as regimes crumble across the region, tens of thousands of Syrians take to the streets to protest against corruption, high unemployment and soaring food prices. The Syrian government responds with live ammunition, claiming some 400 lives by May.
Image: dapd
Condemnation without consensus
At the urging of Western countries, the UN Security Council condemns the violent crackdown. The EU and US implement an arms embargo, visa bans and asset freezes in the months that follow. With the backing of the Arab League, calls eventually grow for the Syrian president's departure. But not all UN members agree with this demand.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Assad refuses to back down
Bashar al-Assad - who has been in power since the death of his father in 2000 - sees his reputation wane with the continuing unrest. He refuses to end decades-long emergency rule, which allows for surveillance and interrogation. Russia backs its ally, supplying weapons and vetoing UN resolutions on Syria multiple times.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Badawi
The opposition gets organized
By the end of the year, human rights groups and the UN have evidence of human rights abuses. Civilians and military deserters are slowly beginning to organize themselves to fight back against government forces, which have been targeting dissidents. More than 5,000 have died so far in the fighting. It will take another six months before the UN acknowledges that a war is taking place on Syrian soil.
Image: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Outside intervention
In September 2012, Iran confirms that it has fighters on the ground in Syria - a fact long denied by Damascus. The presence of allied troops underscores the hesitance of the US and other Western powers to intervene in the conflict. The US, stung by failed interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, sees dialogue as the only reasonable solution.
Image: AP
Fleeing the conflict
As the death toll nears 100,000, the number of refugees in neighboring countries - such as Turkey and Jordan - hits one million. That number will double by September 2013. The West and the Arab League have seen all attempts at a transitional government fail in the two years of war, watching as fighting spills over into Turkey and Lebanon. They fear Assad will stay in power by any means possible.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
No united front against Assad
Assad has long claimed he's combatting terrorists. But it's not until the second year of war that the fragmented Free Syrian Army is definitely known to include radical extremists. The group Al-Nusra Front pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, further splintering the opposition.
Image: Reuters/A. Abdullah
From brute force to chemical warfare
In June 2013, the White House says it has evidence that Assad has been using sarin nerve gas on civilians - a report later backed by the UN. The discovery pushes US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders toward considering the use of military force. However, Russia's proposal to remove the chemical weapons ultimately wins out.
Image: Reuters
Islamic State emerges
Reports of a new jihadist group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) emerge in the final weeks of 2013. Taking land in northern Syria and Iraq, the group sparks infighting among the opposition, with some 500 dead by early 2014. The unexpected emergence of IS ultimately draws the US, France, Saudi Arabia and other nations into the war.
