(Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center) In June 2013, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri declared the Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra) to be the official al-Qaeda branch in Syria. The Al-Nusra Front seeks to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Greater Syria, which includes Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Al-Nusra Front is hostile to Israel and the West and rejects Western values (such as democracy, pluralism and freedom of worship). It is also hostile to Syria's minorities, especially the Alawites and the Shi'ites, whom it regards as infidels. It regards jihad as the personal duty of every Muslim. Al-Qaeda operatives who gained experience in Iraq are prominent in the Al-Nusra Front command, while the rank and file is made up of Syrian operatives and thousands of jihad fighters from Libya, Tunisia, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There are also many hundreds from the West (prominent among whom are 500-600 volunteers from Europe, mainly France and the UK).
2013-09-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive