AL-NUSRAH FRONT FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE LEVANT

Associated with Al-Qaida (QDe.004). Brought Syrian and foreign Al-Qaida in Iraq (QDe.115) and Asbat al-Ansar (QDe.007) fighters, along with other foreign Al-Qaida operatives, to join local elements in Syrian Arab Republic to carry out terrorist and guerrilla operations there. Previously associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), listed as Al-Qaida in Iraq (QDe.115), and its leader Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai (QDi.299) but separated from that group in 2013. In Jul. 2016, Abu Mohammed Al-Jawlani (QDi.317), the leader of Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, announced the group had changed its name to Jabhat Fath al-Sham and was no longer affiliated with any external entity. Despite the announcement and attempts to distinguish itself from Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, the group remains aligned with Al-Qaida and continues to carry out terrorist operations under this new name. In January 2017, Al-Nusrah Front created Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a vehicle to advance its position in the Syrian insurgency and further its own goals as Al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria. Previously listed between 30 May 2013 and 13 May 2014 as an aka of Al-Qaida in Iraq (QDe.115). Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2268 (2017) was concluded on 15 November 2021. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/notice/search/une/5790822