Al Nusra split from Al Qaeda marks change of strategy, not ideology

The bigger significance of the move lies in attempts by Al Nusra to bring itself into the rebel fold at a time when Syrian government forces have besieged Aleppo.

Al Nusra Front fighters march towards the village of Al Ais in Aleppo province, Syria. Al Nusra Front via AP

BEIRUT // Showing his face publicly for the first time, the founder of Syria’s Al Qaeda branch Jabhat Al Nusra laid out a quite simple idea in a video statement on Thursday night.

International powers led by the United States and Russia, Abu Mohamed Al Jolani said, use Al Nusra’s affiliation with Al Qaeda to bomb the Syrian people. To strip the international community of this justification – and to help promote unification among groups fighting the Syrian government – Al Nusra would now be called Jabhat Fatah Al Sham and operate with “no affiliation to any external entity”. In short, Al Nusra would no longer be affiliated with Al Qaeda.

If Jolani truly thinks that the rebranding effort can avert air strikes, he is naive: the US has already said it still considered Al Nusra a target despite the name change, and given that Russia attacks mainstream rebel groups that fight the Syrian government, even a fully reformed Al Nusra would remain in its sights.

The bigger significance of the move lies in attempts by the group to bring itself into the rebel fold at a time when Syrian government forces have besieged Aleppo, Syria’s largest city before the war. In his video statement, Jolani said Al Nusra was striving to “bridge the gaps between the groups of mujaheddin and ourselves”.

Over the course of the war, Syrian rebel groups have remained divided over Al Nusra’s role despite its successes against Syrian regime forces.

Many view Al Nusra as an integral part of the revolution and are thankful for its battlefield contributions. Rebel factions such as Ahrar Al Sham have remained allies with Al Nusra, cooperating closely with the group. While ISIL is seen by members of the Syrian opposition as a group dominated by outsiders and with more interest in building its caliphate than defeating the Syrian government, Al Nusra is considered by many to be a group focused firmly on unseating Syrian president Bashar Al Assad.

Others in the opposition, however, see no place for Al Nusra in Syria. The group’s Al Qaeda affiliation, its extremist ideology, heavy-handed rule of captured areas and atrocities make it unpalatable.

The rebranding could draw some factions in Syria closer to Al Nusra, particularly if its Al Qaeda affiliation was the main hang-up preventing a deeper relationship.

As the noose tightens around besieged Aleppo, even rebel factions that oppose Al Nusra could come under increasing pressure to work with the strong, well-equipped group to stave off defeat.

For rebel groups in northern Syria, there is the growing feeling that if the battle for Aleppo is lost, the war could be lost as well. For Al Nusra’s detractors, animosity could turn to into cooperation when their survival is at stake.

In distancing itself from Al Qaeda, Al Nusra appears to be trying to break down the barriers between itself and opposition groups at a time when Syria’s rebels need all the help they can get. The move appears to be a power play designed to bring other factions closer to Al Nusra and deepen the opposition’s dependence on the group.

Groups that merge with or unite under Al Nusra could now find themselves the targets of the US-led coalition. With Al Nusra trying to break down the barriers that separate it from the opposition, relationships could become murkier and forces deployed on the battlefield could become even more interspersed.

Claims that Al Nusra – or Jabhat Fatah Al Sham as they now call themselves – has split from Al Qaeda should be taken lightly.

Al Nusra was not a wayward rebel group that found itself adopted by Al Qaeda. Rather, their creation was ordered by Al Qaeda. The only ideology the group has ever had has been that of Al Qaeda.

In the video statement announcing the split, Jolani appeared wearing a camouflage jacket and a white turban, its excess cloth hanging down over his chest. His style clearly mimicked that of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.

When he spoke, he thanked his “brothers” in Al Qaeda’s leadership for allowing Al Nusra to split. And he went on to quote Bin Laden.

The rebranding does not signify a shift in ideology for the extremist group, but rather an attempt to force rebel groups to welcome them into the mainstream.

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