Hussein Malla/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.Jabhat al-Nusra’s split from al-Qaeda offers the west a unique and crucial opportunity to create a fully inclusive and strengthened transition in Syria while dividing al-Nusra’s supporters.
Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State are the only opposition groups banned from the Syrian peace talks and excluded from the government/rebel cessation of hostilities, while organizations like Ahrar al-Sham, ideological and military allies of Jabhat al-Nusra, are allowed to take part.
This has enabled the Syrian government to continue bombing and attacking rebel-held areas, such as Aleppo, under the pretense of attacking Jabhat al-Nusra. The justification for including Jabhat al-Nusra on the list of terrorist groups and excluding them from the talks stems from their origins within al-Qaeda, and the fear that their resources and experience will be utilized to stage attacks against the west. These attacks, however, have never materialized.
