Nusra pledge to Qaeda boosts Syria regime

"... "It's a point in the regime's favour because it reinforces the official narrative that claims (the army faces) terrorist groups backed by foreign forces," said Damascus Centre for Strategic Studies head Bassam Abu Abdallah.

"The opposition's stance is weakened before Syrian and international public opinion," he said.

Al-Nusra Front's chief Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani pledged allegiance on Wednesday to Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is calling for an Islamic state in Syria and the "restoration of an Islamic caliphate".

"The opposition's stance is weakened before Syrian and international public opinion," he said.
Al-Nusra Front's chief Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani pledged allegiance on Wednesday to Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is calling for an Islamic state in Syria and the "restoration of an Islamic caliphate".
"The Syrian opposition cannot justify to the Europeans the jihadist presence in Syria. What will it do after this announcement? It's embarrassing for the West which is calling for democratic change in Syria," said Abu Abdallah..."