DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida affiliate operating in Syria and Lebanon, issued an ultimatum to a splinter group to cease its activities in Syria.
The chief of al-Nusra Front, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, posted an eight minute audio message online Tuesday that was directed to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
"I swear by God, if you again refuse God's judgment, and do not stop your plague and pushing your ignorant ideology on the Muslim nation then you will be expelled, even from Iraq."
Al-Nusra Front disagrees with ISIS' objective in Syria. For al-Nusra, the goal is to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whereas ISIS wants Syria to become an Islamic emirate.
"Know that we have patiently waited for a whole year while you committed violations, made false accusations, and misconstrued the truth to justify your greater corruption. We relinquished many of our rights... You know that until now we have not turned away from the frontlines or fighting the regime as you have done."
Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has also criticized ISIS, with al-Qaida senior leadership stating publicly in February that ISIS "is not a branch of the al Qaeda group."
[CNN]
