In reaction to the headway of the Islamic State (IS, ex-ISIL) in Iraq, the Al-Nusra Front (an Al Qaeda-linked group in Syria) decided to create its own caliphate, according to an announcement made by its emir, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. through an audio message on July 11.

The "Victory Front for the People of the Levant" emerged in early 2012. In March of that year, it perpetrated a double suicide bomb attack in Damascus (which was first presented by the Western press as a false flag operation organized by the Syrian government). It was then made up of members of the Islamic Emirate in Iraq, including some Syrian nationals originating mainly from Deraa, whose objective was to continue the jihad in their own country.

It would seem that the Front was created on the initiative of Mohammad Farouk Tayfour, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, whose political orders allegedly came from the MB office in Istanbul and the military intelligence from NATO.

Funding for the Front was initially provided by the State of Qatar and subsequently by that of Saudi Arabia (until its breakup with the Brotherhood). It also received private donations from religious leaders and heads of major Gulf companies. Its current benefactors are the Saudi secret services (since the return of Prince Bandar).

End of 2012, the Front publicly disclosed its links with Al-Qaeda, resulting in its inclusion in Washington’s list of terrorist organizations, on December 11.

However, France - which oversees the Front militarily with officers of the French Foreign Legion - continues to support it also diplomatically. At the Friends of Syria meeting held in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 12, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated that "all Arabs were up in arms" against the attitude of the United States "because, on the ground the Front was doing a good job." "It was very clear, and the president of the Coalition [Syrian National] was of the same mind" [1]. The president of the Coalition, Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib (also a Shell lobbyist), asked Washington to reconsider its position. 29 rebel groups signed a petition to oppose the move by the U.S. and to support the Front. In the end, France officially endorsed the U.S. position and took the initiative to have the Front added to the UN list of terrorist organizations.

In fact, there is documented proof that French, U.S., Qatari and Turkish officers were active within the Front after its inclusion in the United Nations list of terrorist organizations.

The Al-Nusra Front set up Islamic courts and proclaimed Sharia law in the territories under its control, where it conducted mass beheadings and other public executions.

Turkey provided the Front with logistical support despite the taking of Turkish hostages [2]. In March 2014, the Turkish army took the Syrian-Armenian town of Kassab in a joint operation with the Front [3]. Turkey didn’t sever its ties with with the Front until June 2014, that is to say, after the invasion of Iraq by the IS.

The Front is equipped with modern weapons, including Franco-German manufactured Milan anti-tank missiles and a stock of Manpad missiles. It shifts locations thereby dodging the attacks of the Syrian Arab Army thanks to the satellite imagery it continues to receive from NATO, at least until June of this year.

The Front is currently attempting to eliminate its rivals in two zones, one in the north of the country (in a part of the town of Aleppo), the other in the south (in the countryside surrounding the city of Deraa) with a view to quickly proclaiming the creation of a caliphate.

[1] "Laurent Fabius prend la défense d’Al-Qaida", Réseau Voltaire, 13 December 2012.

[2] “Release of Al-Qaeda’s Lebanese hostages in Syria”, Translation Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 22 October 2013.

[3] “Turkey helps foreign mercenaries slip into Syria”, Voltaire Network, 22 March 2014.