What is Jabhat al-Nusra and What is its Connection to Other Opposition Groups Against Assad?

On Friday, the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States discussed the situation in Syria again. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov told John Kerry that Moscow is ready to use more means to "normalize" the situation in Aleppo, Syria. This statement came a day after Kerry said that continuing negotiations with Russia was pointless due to the bombings carried out by Russian fighter jets. According to reports, during the conversation between the foreign ministers on Friday, Lavrov also emphasized that the ceasefire achieved by the US and Russia had been repeatedly violated by the Jabhat al-Nusra group in eastern Aleppo. The Russian foreign minister also stated that Washington's inability to separate Jabhat al-Nusra from other groups labeled as moderate has allowed Jabhat al-Nusra to "hide behind other armed groups cooperating with the US." The disagreement between Moscow and Washington regarding the separation of armed groups active in Syria is not new, and both sides have been at odds for months over Jabhat al-Nusra, with Moscow justifying its bombings in parts of Aleppo by the presence of this group. Regarding this Islamist group, which claims to have ceased being an al-Qaeda branch, Radio Free Europe spoke with Julie Shein, director of the anti-extremism project in New York. Ms. Shein first looked at the background of Jabhat al-Nusra, which has become so controversial today. Jabhat al-Nusra, which changed its name to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham about two months ago, has been operating since 2011 as one of the official branches of al-Qaeda in Syria and, after the group known as the Islamic State or ISIS, has controlled more territory than other groups. This group also has the highest number of foreign fighters after ISIS. As a result, although this group is not as well-known or discussed as ISIS, it is the strongest group in Syria after ISIS and plays a significant role in the very complex situation in Syria. What is the relationship of this group with other opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Jabhat al-Nusra has managed to find its place among the armed opposition in Syria and has attracted the attention of other armed groups, including Ahrar al-Sham, which is also an Islamist armed group. Jabhat al-Nusra has also collaborated with some groups supported by the West and secular armed groups. Jabhat al-Nusra usually claims that it does not control areas alone and has reached agreements for power-sharing, and at least in the short term, it has worked with other armed groups to attract the attention of Syrians to ultimately establish an Islamic government, as the leader of this group stated a few years ago. Currently, one of the issues that has been raised as a challenge for months is the need to differentiate between groups, and in attacks or ceasefires, Jabhat al-Nusra or Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham should be accounted separately from other groups. But my question to you is whether you think, given this complex situation and Jabhat al-Nusra's collaborations with some groups, this differentiation is possible? This is very difficult work and exactly what has become a problem, and the international coalition is seeking a solution for it. Separating Jabhat al-Nusra from others is particularly difficult because they have entered into a series of power-sharing agreements, and the international coalition is trying to create an incentive for other Syrian armed groups that had no relationship with al-Qaeda to distance themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra so that coalition fighters can more easily target Jabhat al-Nusra positions. However, this is very difficult given the relationships that Jabhat al-Nusra has formed with some people and communities in Syria, as well as with groups that had no connection to al-Qaeda. Is this effort to distance itself new? Or has it been pursued unsuccessfully for a long time? This is a good question. Jabhat al-Nusra has long been under US sanctions, and it is not new that the US and the international community consider Jabhat al-Nusra a terrorist group. However, over the past years, due to the positions this group has taken, it has increasingly been able to garner support from other groups and has collaborated with them in the fight against ISIS and also against the Assad regime. As a result, this has become a serious problem.