President Barack Obamas administration is reportedly planning to designate the Syrian jihadist group Jabhat al-Nusra “the Support Front” as a terrorist organization.
The group, which was first announced in late January 2012, has become a growing part of the armed opposition due to its fighting prowess — perhaps no surprise, as many of its fighters honed their skills in battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen. As a result, Jabhat al-Nusra has carved out an important niche in the fight to oust the Syrian regime even as it remains outside of the mainstream opposition.
