Al-Nusra Front facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Al-Nusra Front |
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| جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام Participant in the Syrian Civil War and the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon |
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Flag of Jabhat al-Nusra
(January 2012 – July 2016) Flag of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham
(July 2016 – January 2017) |
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| Active | 23 January 2012 – 28 January 2017 |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism
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| Groups | See al-Nusra member groups |
| Leaders | Abu Mohammad al-Julani (top emir) Abu Abdullah al-Shami (senior member) Ahmad Salama Mabruk † (senior member) Abu Hajer al-Homsi † (top military commander) Abu Omar al-Turkistani † (top military commander) |
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| Area of operations |  Syria (Primarily in Northwest Syria, around the Idlib and Aleppo Provinces) Lebanon (2013-2017) |
| Part of | al-Qaeda (until 2016) Mujahideen Shura Council (2014–2015) Army of Conquest (2015–2017) |
| Preceded by | Islamic State of Iraq |
| Succeeded by |  Tahrir al-Sham Hurras al-Din (merge) |
al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra (Arabic: جبهة النصرة), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Arabic: جبهة فتح الشام) is one of the organizations fighting in the Syrian Civil War. Since July 2016, it has also been known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Arabic: جبهة فتح الشام, transliteration: Jabhat Fataḥ al-Šām).
The group announced its formation on 23 January 2012. The United States designated Jabhat al-Nusra as a foreign terrorist organization, followed by the United Nations Security Council and many other countries. It was the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda until July 2016, when it became a separate organization. In early 2015, the group became one of the major components of the powerful jihadist joint operations room named the Army of Conquest, which took over large territories in Northwestern Syria. It also operates in neighbouring Lebanon. In November 2012, The Washington Post described al-Nusra as the most successful arm of the rebel forces.
In December 2012, US Department of State designated it as a "foreign terrorist organization".
In July 2016, al-Nusra formally separated from al-Qaeda and re-branded as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant").
On 28 January 2017, following violent clashes with Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel groups, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham merged with four other groups to become Tahrir al-Sham.
According to spokesmen of a moderate wing of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), in November 2012 Nusra had between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters, which was 7–9% of the FSA's total fighters.
Designation as a terrorist organisation
Countries and organisations below have listed al-Nusra Front as a terrorist organisation:
| Country | Date | References |
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 Iran |
3 January 2012 | |
 United States |
10 December 2012 | |
 United Nations Security Council |
May 2013 | |
 France |
30 May 2013 | |
 Australia |
28 June 2013 | |
 United Kingdom |
19 July 2013 | |
 Canada |
7 November 2013 | |
 Malaysia |
2013 | |
 Saudi Arabia |
7 March 2014 | |
 New Zealand |
14 May 2014 | |
 United Arab Emirates |
19 May 2014 | |
 Turkey |
2 June 2014 | |
 Russia |
29 December 2014 | |
 Japan |
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 Bahrain |
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 Kyrgyzstan |
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 Kazakhstan |
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 Tajikistan |
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 Syria |
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 Kuwait |
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| Lebanon |
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 Iraq |
See also
- List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
- List of terrorist incidents in Syria
- List of terrorist attacks in Damascus
