Syria's al-Nusra Front – ruthless, organised and taking control

  "Do you know why the Americans and Israelis are winning and we Arabs always lose?" asked the emir. "Because we Arabs are emotional."

Al-Nusra, by contrast, was an international organisation, and was "not built on emotions". Its members should be ready to kill their brothers or cousins if they were proved to have to committed apostasy.

 The commander talked about the services al-Nusra is providing to Shadadi's residents. First, there is food: 225 sacks of wheat, baked into bread and delivered to the people every day through special teams in each neighbourhood. Then there is free electricity and water, which run all day throughout the town. There is also al-Nusra healthcare, provided from a small clinic that treats all comers, regardless of whether they have sworn allegiance to the emirate or not. Finally, there is order and the promise of swift justice, delivered according to sharia law by a handful of newly appointed judges. "

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Syria's al-Nusra Front – ruthless, organised and taking control | World news | The Guardian