U.S.-backed Syrian rebels have been ousted from their strongholds , monitors say . Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra has taken over key districts of Idlib suburbs in northwestern Syria , ousting U.S.-backed Syrian rebels from their strongholds and raising fears of their wider ascendance in northern Syria , monitors and activists say . They say some , linked by family , have defected to al - Qaeda . There are reports that al - Nusra might target a key crossing at the Turkish border . Like ISIS , al - Nusra Front is trying to establish an Islamic state , though primarily in Syria .
U.S.-backed Syrian rebels have been ousted from their strongholds , monitors say . They say some , linked by family , have defected to al - Qaeda . There are reports that al - Nusra might target a key crossing at the Turkish border . Like ISIS , al - Nusra Front is trying to establish an Islamic state , though primarily in Syria .