Although the leader of Al-Nusra Front terrorist group, Abu Mohammed Joulani, is used to wear the Syrian traditional dress in media appearances, and in spite of his attempt to be accepted uniform among the Syrian society.

Ahmad Farhat

Although the leader of Al-Nusra Front terrorist group, Abu Mohammed Joulani, is used to wear the Syrian traditional dress in media appearances, and in spite of his attempt to be accepted uniform among the Syrian society, the situation of his Al-Qaeda affiliate group is not in a better situation than before, while its relations with the rest of the armed factions became very fragile.

The incident when Al-Nusra gunmen stormed the headquarters of "Division 13" of the so-called Free Syrian Army in Maarat Al-Noaman in rural Idleb was not unnoticed, however it became a turning point in the group's path, especially in light of the ongoing international developments regarding the crisis in Syria.

Those changes were considered the target by many players in order to get rid of Al-Nusra Front, or to confine it to a corner, including Huzaifa Abdullah Azzam, a prominent takfiri figure, the son of Abdullah Azzam. (Abdullah Azzam is a friend of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and one of the most prominent former theorists of al Qaeda ideology who inspired many of the such movements, most notably the Ahrar al-Sham).

Huzaifa Azzam, an influential personality among armed groups in Idleb, Aleppo and Hama provinces, posted evidences about certain incidents took place in Syria in which Al-Nusra Front was main party, accusing the group of not referring to "Sharia courts" to resolve disputes. He spoke about the group's project to establish an emirate through controlling the border with Turkey and expanding its presence in other vital areas.

Remarkably, Azzam tackled the sharp differences between Abu Mohammed Joulani and leaders of Ahrar Al-Sham movement, before they were killed in a mysterious explosion in Ram Hamdan area in Idleb countryside two years ago, pointing out that Joulani didn't express condolences after the murder of the "commanders", some of whom had pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In his tweets, Azzam revealed his relationship with Al-Qaeda affiliate groups and some factions of the Free Army that used to provide Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and others with military support through the weapons it was receiving from foreign countries, mostly American-made. He also unfolded that the leader of Syria Revolutionaries Front, Jamal Maarouf (who was considered a moderate figure) had secretly pledged allegiance to Joulani, and that Ahrar al-Sham movement had asked to keep its nature in spite of joining the "Free Army," stressing that some of the FA's weapons were being distributed to most of the "jihadist" factions.

Azzam's tweets coincide with Zawahiri's approach who prefers that groups loyal to him to work under fake names without reveal their loyalty to the organization. This explains the "takfiri" approach of many FSA groups and confirms the Syrian and Russian point of view about classifying the armed groups in Syria.

This testimony by one of the leaders and ideologists of the takfiri groups in Syria undermines the efforts of many of those who tried to polish the image of pro-FSA groups, through his assertion that it was the biggest supporter of the internationally blacklisted groups.

Such revelation poses many questions in terms of timing, especially as it coincided with the start of Geneva talks and with talks about a UN resolution for eliminating Al-Nusra Front by groups that can be classified as "moderate", amid the presence of some movements favoring to recognize the West countries and do not mind to cooperate with them. Former CIA director, David Petraeus talked about those movements in last September, suggesting that "some Al-Nusra fighters" would join the coalition against what he described as extremists in Syria.

It also came at a time when Turkey has called many of the armed groups, including "Ahrar al-Sham movement" and "Army of Islam" and "Legion of al-Sham" and a number of FSA factions, to an urgent meeting in Ankara under official patronage, in order to form a "military junta" to lead the next stage, following Russia's announcement to withdraw the main part of its troops from Syria.

In parallel with this meeting, Qatari Al-Jazeera TV is trying to polish the image of Ahrar al-Sham, by hosting its Egyptian leader, Muhannad - aka Abu Yahya al-Hamwi - in a talk show on Wednesday evening, about two weeks after broadcasting a documentary about the movement, which was suspended for two years, according to the channel that had It failed to improve the image of Al-Nusra Front, through allocating a large part of coverage for the activities of its fighters on the ground and hosting its leader in more than one live interview.

Ahrar al-Sham leaders expressed great criticism against Al-Nusra Front over the recent events in Idleb, (shooting demonstrators and attacking the headquarters of Division-13), led by its deputy Commanding General for Political Affairs, Abu Issa Al-Sheikh, who attacked the Front without naming it, saying there is "a bloodshed under the pretext of treason for those who do not pledge allegiance."

Another Ahrar Al-Sham "legitimate" leader - aka Abu Khattab al-Shami - tweeted that the Al-Nusra broke into Division-13 HQs to hide its defeat before the Syrian army during the recent assault on Tal al-Eis in the southern countryside of Aleppo.

One of the most prominent Al-Qaeda ideologists, Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi lashed out at Azzam tweets, saying that "the team conspiring against Al-Nusra are drummers of Riyadh Conference and Turkey, ..."

The ideologist Abu Qotada the Palestinian also commented on Azzam tweets, saying that "the coming stage will witness a fierce escalation of the factional fighting, and words are the beginning."

However, will be there a meeting in Ankara, led by Ahrar al-Sham as a basic arm to eliminate Al-Nusra Front, as a potential price for their participation in a possible reconciliation, and to introduce them to the international community as a reliable party to control the zones that are now under the control of opposition factions in Syria?