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Jabhat al-Nusra eyes Idlib for Islamic emirate

After routing Syrian rebels from Idlib, Jabhat al-Nusra hopes to create an Islamic emirate to rival the Islamic State’s caliphate.

An Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra fighter talks on a walkie-talkie while carrying his weapon on Al-Khazan frontline of Khan Sheikhoun, northern Idlib province May 17, 2014. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR3PMA6
A Jabhat al-Nusra fighter talks on a walkie-talkie while carrying his weapon at the Al-Khazan frontline of Khan Sheikhoun, northern Idlib province, May 17, 2014. — REUTERS/Hamid Khatib

ALEPPO, Syria — Jabhat al-Nusra is carrying on with its project to establish its own emirate in the north of Syria and pull the rug from under the Islamic State (IS). The latter's caliphate, announced June 30, has attracted jihadists from around the world and poached many al-Nusra members and foreign fighters.

Al-Nusra’s leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani had promised his militants the “birth of an Islamic emirate” under his command in a message broadcast online in July.

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