The leader of al-Qaeda has given his blessing for the terror group’s Syrian branch to form its own “emirate” to rival the Islamic State (Isil) inside Syria.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s successor, gave his backing to the al-Nusra Front to create the first sovereign state run by al-Qaeda.
If the plan is carried out it could see two “Islamic states” – Isil and the new al-Qaeda emirate – competing for territory and influence within the borders of war torn Syria.
