A new report suggests that Jabhat al - Nusra , the Syrian arm of al - Qaeda , which emerged in 2011 , poses a greater long - term threat to Europe than ISIS . The Institute for the prevention of War and the American Enterprise Institute states in the report that : “ Jabhat al - Nusra poses one of the most significant long - term threats of any Salafi - jihadi group . Its defeat and destruction must be one of the highest priorities of any strategy to protect the United States and Europe from al - Qaeda attacks . ” Al - Nusra has gained the loyalty of local opposition groups through extensive network of partnerships . It has reportedly made the tactical decision not to attack the West for now . one of the report ’s authors described ISIS as “ flashier ” , but warned : “ Al - Nusra is quietly intertwining itself with the Syrian population and Syrian opposition ... They are waiting in the wings to pick up the mantle of global jihad once Isis emerges . ”
A new report suggests that Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian arm of al-Qaida, which emerged in 2011, poses a greater long-term threat to Europe than ISIS. The Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute states in the report that: “Jabhat al-Nusra poses one of the most significant long-term threats of any Salafi-jihadi group. Its defeat and destruction must be one of the highest priorities of any strategy to defend the United States and Europe from al-Qaeda attacks.” Al-Nusra has gained the loyalty of local opposition groups through extensive network of partnerships. It has reportedly made the tactical decision not to attack the West for now. One of the report’s authors described ISIS as “flashier”, but warned: “Al-Nusra is quietly intertwining itself with the Syrian population and Syrian opposition... They are waiting in the wings to pick up the mantle of global jihad once Isis falls.”