Experts: "Al-Qaeda" makes minimal impact on Caucasian armed groupings in Syria

Secession of the grouping "Jabhat al-Nusra" from the influence of the "Al-Qaeda" will not affect the Caucasian armed groupings in Syria. This opinion was voiced by experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". According to them, a conflict between the terrorist organizations banned in Russia also will not affect the situation with the departure of natives of Northern Caucasus to the conflict zone in Syria.

On July 25, the reports on secession of the "Jabhat al-Nusra" from the influence of the "Al-Qaeda" were published by resources affiliated with the above organizations. The reports were also posted on Facebook page of "The 2nd International Conference on Intelligence & Special Forces. The "Jabhat al-Nusra" is now called the "Jhabhat Fatah al-Sham".

"At the beginning of the conflict in Syria, 'Jabhat al-Nusra' used to be an affiliate of the 'Islamic State' (IS), banned in the Russian Federation," notes Orkhan Djemal, a special correspondent of the "Dozhd" (Rain) TV Channel.

According to Orkhan Djemal, by late 2011, Abu Muhammad al-Djulani, a founder of the "Jabhat al-Nusra", "organized an influential grouping, which overshadowed its parent structure in the region."

The s expert suggests that the conflict between the groupings occurred partially because of "political competition and differences in ideology."

Inside the "Jabhat al-Nusra", most natives of the Caucasus "hold the positions of grouping leaders". This was noted by Akhmet Yarlykapov, Senior Researcher of the Centre for Ethno-Political Studies of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS).

Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, the project director for Russia and Northern Caucasus of the International Crisis Group (ICG), does not rule out that at present, the "Jabhat al-Nusra" will try "to get closer to the Syrian opposition to enjoy more influence on the political future of Syria."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.