Syria al-Nusra merges with Iraq al-Qaeda

The al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq network has announced merger with Syria’s foreign-backed and terrorist Jabhat al-Nusra (Victory Front) to play an even greater role in the Syrian conflict.

According to Press TV, on Tuesday, a website affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra confirmed the merger with the Iraqi terrorist group.
In a 21-minute audio message posted on insurgent websites late on Monday, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, said his group had trained and funded insurgents from Syria’s Jabhat al-Nusra since the early days of the Syrian crisis.
He added that the two groups would operate under the joint title of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Baghdadi said “It’s now time to declare in front of the people of the Levant and the world that al-Nusra Front is but an extension of the Islamic State of Iraq and part of it.”
He added “We thus declare … the cancellation of the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the name of al-Nusra Front and grouping them together under one name, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,”.