Washington Says its Assessment of “Jabhat al-Nusra” not Changed Despite Split from al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON- The White House said its assessment of “Jabhat al-Nusra” terrorist group had not changed, despite the announcement that the group was cutting its ties with al-Qaeda.

“There continues to be increasing concern about al-Nusra’s growing capacity for external operations that could threaten both the United States and Europe,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a briefing, according to Reuters.

 Earlier, Jabhat al-Nusra ,the al-Qaeda branch in Syria, has announced its break from the parent terror organization and changed its name to Jabhat Fath al-Sham (The Conquest of Syria Front) in an apparent bid to gain more support from foreign powers.

In a televised message on Thursday, al-Nusra chief in Syria Abu Mohamad al-Jolani claimed his group will be rebranded and will end connections with entities outside Syria.

H.M