Although Al Nusra has not attached itself to the Iraq portion of Al Qaeda, it has pledged loyalty to Al Qaeda's Al Zawahiri, in what has become a chilling message caught on tape and published on the internet.
This development does not bode well for Syria, as Al Nusra is already carving a territory for itself that could become part of a partinioning of Syria in which three territories could emerge: one in which Al Nusra would have jurisdiction to the east , if their rule holds, where it borders with Iraq and which would provide a corridor for terrorists to reach Israel, another in the north of Syria, where most of the insurgents have taken territory and where there is aid flowing in from Turkey, and a southwest part where the regime could retain part of its power and keep its seat in Damascus, thanks to arms and aid from its ally, Russia.
This complicates greatly whatever operations were planned from any of the states that wanted to come to Syria's insurgents' rescue. Indeed, it was the detection early on of the infiltration of foreign rebel groups that halted initiatives from the US and other European and Nato countries to help Syria's insurgency.
With this statement, Al Nusra has not only made clear its affiliation, but also the fact that they are now establishing their own objective, which is to take territory in the name of the alliance with Al Qaeda, therefore placing the insurgent's aim to depose Assad in second place.
Partial Source: Reuters. 4.10.13
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