The speech of Abu Bakr al-Qurashi Baghdadi (as he is known in the movement), the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, announcing the integration of Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria into the Islamic State of Iraq, and the formation of what is known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria did not surprise many observers and analysts. The link between the two groups on both sides of the border has revealed itself numerous times. Yet, the pragmatic vision displayed by Baghdadi when talking about the newly old shift in the group’s goals is remarkable.

Baghdadi announced that Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria and the Islamic State of Iraq would unify their flags. It now consists of the sentence “There is no God but God” written in white on a black background, and at the bottom, the sentence "Muhammad is the messenger of God" written in black within a white circle.

Baghdadi, whose real name is believed to be Awwad Ibrahim al-Samarrai, said in an audio clip posted on jihadist websites on Tuesday: “It is now time to declare in front of the people of the Levant and the entire world that Jabhat al-Nusra is but an extension of the Islamic State of Iraq and part of it.”

He added: “We are determined, after asking God for his goodness, and consulting those in whose faith and wisdom we trust, to move towards the advancement of the group. ... We thus declare the cancellation of the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the name of Jabhat al-Nusra, grouping them together under one name, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.”