Syrian Nusra Front claims to pull away from al-Qaida
focused on a number of extremist groups, including Nusra and the Islamic State group.
But the step could complicate U.S. efforts in Syria.
Without the al-Qaida name, the group will now seek to expand its alliances with other Syrian rebels, including relative moderates backed by Washington and its allies. Those factions may then oppose international airstrikes against Nusra fight- ers, arguing that they are now simply fellow rebels against President Bashar Assad, not an al-Qaida affiliate.
Nusra’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first appearance showing his face in the video message, aired on the Syrian opposition station Orient TV and Al-Jazeera.
Sitting between two members of the Front’s senior leadership, al-Go-
BEIRUT — After months of fighting to encircle its opponents in Aleppo, Syrian authorities backed by Russia on Thursday offered safe corridors out for residents and rebels in the northern city’s besieged quarters, underlining the government’s determination to seal off the metropolis and force an eventual surrender by the opposition.
Many residents dismissed the offer, saying it presents them with an impossible choice between a slow death if they stay behind and possible detention if they attempt to leave.
The encirclement of rebel-held eastern Aleppo sets the stage for a drawn-out siege with potentially huge implications for the future of the armed opposition to President Bashar Assad. The military continued to consolidate its grip Thursday, seizing a district on the northern edge of the city. lani said the delinking from al-Qaida aimed to remove “pretexts” by the U.S. and Russia to strike other rebel groups while claiming they are targeting Nusra.
He underlined the step took place with the blessings of al-Qaida’s leadership, and he thanked them for their understanding. He also said the move upholds dictates of Osama bin Laden and was necessary “to protect the Levantine Jihad.”