al-Nusrah Front
Al-Nusra Dzhebhat
Jabhat al-Nusrah
Jabhet al-Nusra
The Victory Front
Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant
The radical Islamist group "Al-Nusra Dzhebhat" ("Victory Front"), associated with the terrorist network "Al-Qaeda", was established in 2011 on the territory of Syria. Its leader - Abu Mohammed al Dzhaulani (real name Adnan al-Haj Ali) - was sent from Iraq to Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (now - the leader of the terrorist group "Islamic State") for the organization of the armed struggle against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The group officially declared itself in February 2012, circulated on the Internet a video message and taking action against government forces in Syria.
Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syria-based Sunni extremist group that adheres to the global jihadist ideology of al-Qa’ida. In late 2011, al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI) sent operatives to Syria for the purpose of establishing Jabhat al-Nusra to fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The group publicly announced its presence in Syria in a January 2012 video statement. In early April 2013, Jabhat al-Nusra pledged allegiance to al-Qa’ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and confirmed the group has received funding and operatives from AQI. The group has received direct endorsement from online extremist forums aligned with al-Qa’ida and leading salafist/jihadist figures. Previously, Jabhat al-Nusra had attempted to play down its extremist ideology and conceal its links to AQI to avoid alienating the Syrian population.
Jabhat al-Nusra released videos of its attacks and operations through its media network al-Manara al-Bayda (the White Minaret). These videos are uploaded to a pro-al-Qa’ida jihadist forum, Shumukh al-Islam.
Jabhat al-Nusra’s stated objectives are to remove the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and once this is achieved, create a salafist-oriented Sunni Islamist state in Syria. Jabhat al-Nusra also intends to establish an Islamist caliphate across the Levant. Jabhat al-Nusra believes the fight against the Syrian regime is supported by religious texts, and its fighters hope to fulfill ‘God’s wish’ for an ‘Islamic caliphate’.
Through the experiences of its members who have fought in Iraq and the group’s close links to AQI’s leadership, Jabhat al-Nusra has learned lessons from AQI’s experiences in Iraq and has been careful to avoid the latter’s mistakes—beheadings, sectarian violence and indiscriminate civilian casualties—that resulted in the loss of support from the Iraqi population.
Jabhat al-Nusra also intended to expel the minority Alawite and Christian communities from Syria. This is substantiated by statements made by the group, including ‘The blessed operations will continue until the land of Syria is purified from the filth of the nusayris (Alawites) and the Sunnis are relieved of their oppression’.
To achieve these objectives, Jabhat al-Nusra undertakes improvised explosive device (IED) (including suicide), sniper and small-arms attacks, as well as kidnapping and executions, against regime security and military targets. Jabhat al-Nusra also attacks individuals and groups it perceives are supporting the regime and has targeted urban areas, resulting in indiscriminate civilian deaths. Anticipating a new phase of fighting after the fall of the regime, Jabhat al-Nusra plans to unite all jihadists, including fighters from Iraq, under one umbrella to fight the secular opposition.
Syria's Nusra Front spearheaded the fight against President Bashar al-Assad. The Nusra Front burst into prominence when it claimed responsibility for several powerful bombings in the Syrian capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo. Since then it expanded operations nationwide, winning recruits among rebels who see it as the most effective fighting force against Assad's troops, and it has taken a leading role in capturing territory in the north, south and east of Syria.
The violent, sectarian vision of al-Nusrah was at odds with the aspirations of the Syrian people, including the overwhelming majority of the Syrian opposition, who seek a free, democratic, and inclusive Syria and have made clear their desire for a government that respects and advances national unity, dignity, human rights, and equal protection under the law – regardless of faith, ethnicity, or gender.
There was said to be a fierce competition between the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and the Jabhat al-Nusrah. These two groups, which did not have a foothold before the revolution, have become a reality in Syria. Their first manifestation emerged with the appearance of what became known as Jabhat al-Nusrah in the Levant, which claimed most bombings in Syria since the start of events. Members of this jihadi group, whose leader was known as “al-Fatih Abu Muhammad al-Julani,” had come from nearby jihadi areas to overthrow the oppressive Alawi regime. Despite questions about the group’s genuine jihadism and the Syrian regime’s role in creating it, it gained legitimacy in jihadi circles after publishing videos claiming attacks on jihadi websites used by al-Qaeda (al-Fajr Media Center, Shumukh al-Islam Network and others). In addition, jihadis have provided reliable information claiming that al-Qaeda endorsed the emerging Jabhat al-Nusrah.
Jabhat al-Nusra’s current membership is difficult to ascertain, with one estimate placing it between 6000 and 10 000 members. The group consists primarily of Syrian nationals, but includes foreign fighters from the Levant, North Africa and Europe. A small number of foreign fighters are from Western countries. Several of Jabhat al-Nusra’s leaders and operatives have previous experience as AQI operatives in Iraq.
Jabhat al-Nusra has very strict recruitment procedures and requires new recruits to pledge allegiance to the group. Potential recruits are required to fight on the front-line and must be vouched for by Jabhat al-Nusra commanders before they are accepted. Due to Jabhat al-Nusra’s high level of operational security, it only recruits individuals who have undergone a vetting process.
Jabhat al-Nusra has its own media outlet, al-Manara al-Bayda (the White Minaret), which it uses to make documentary-style propaganda videos, often featuring car bombs and interviews with suicide bombers. Through the White Minaret, Jabhat al-Nusra’s message is disseminated via the jihadist forum Shumukh al-Islam.
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