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 But that move would require pledging loyalty to Islamic State,
which has declared a caliphate in territory it controls in Iraq and
Syria, which would effectively put an end to the Nusra Front,
fighters in the group say.
Nusra, long one of the most effective forces fighting Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, was weakened this year by battles with
Islamic State, an al Qaeda splinter group that routinely employs
ruthless methods such as beheadings and mass executions.
The two share the same ideology and rigid Islamic beliefs, but fell
out during a power struggle that pitted Islamic State head Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi against al Qaeda chief Ayman Zawahri and Nusra Front
leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani.
But U.S.-led air and missile strikes, which have hit Nusra as well
as Islamic State bases in Syria, have angered many Nusra members who
say the West and its allies have joined forces in a "crusader"
campaign against Islam.
Sources close to Islamic State said some Nusra fighters were joining
them after the strikes and there was a growing sense among many that
it was time to put their differences aside.
"There are hardline voices inside Nusra who are pushing for
reconciliation with Islamic State," a source close to Nusra's
leadership told Reuters, though he doubted it would happen.
"I know Golani. He would never reconcile with Islamic State. If he
ever does it, it would be in a direct order from the leadership, and
that is Zawahri himself."
However, one Islamic State fighter said he believed there was an "80
percent chance that the brothers of Nusra will join the State".
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring
group, said on Friday over 200 fighters had joined Islamic State in
the northern Aleppo area, many from the Nusra Front, since U.S.
President Barack Obama said he was prepared to strike the group in
Syria.
NO TRUST
Even before the air strikes, Nusra was facing difficulties and was
losing fighters to the Islamic State, which is seen as more
organized and determined to impose Islamic rule.
"This goes without saying, this is a crusader war that includes all
infidel nations against the Islamic State," said Nusra commander Abu
Mussab al-Makdessi in a voice message posted in jihadi forums online
in response to a question from an Islamist about the group's
reaction to the strikes.
"Regardless of what happened between us, they remain our brothers,
and the ideological bond between us is stronger than anything. We
are ready to fight by their side ... our blood is their blood."
One former Nusra fighter inside Syria said the air strikes had
strengthened Islamic State's position even further.
"Nusra is in a very difficult situation. I think now it should just
announce the end of itself. Zawahri has to be brave," he told
Reuters.
"It is no longer like the old days. He needs to understand this.
This is a new era with a caliph," he said.
Yet sources from and close to both sides said it would be difficult
for the two groups to work together without merging - and with Nusra
in a weaker position, that would effectively mean being subsumed by
Islamic State.
Such a decision should be taken by Zawahri himself. Sources say he
should give a speech outlining al Qaeda's position on the attacks
soon.
"Golani does not trust Baghdadi, and he doesn't like his politics
and agenda, he sees it as distorted and astray," the source close to
the Nusra leadership said.
But there were figures inside Nusra who were seen as more extreme
that wanted to make peace with Islamic State, he said, naming top
Nusra cleric Sheikh Sami al-Aridi, who is also close to Golani, as a
particularly strong proponent of reconciliation.
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If that does happen, it would be an alliance and not a merger, the
source said, adding merger would be impossible since Baghdadi, who
has declared himself leader of all the world's Muslims, would want
Zawahri to pledge allegiance to him. But even if Zawahri only
orders Nusra to fight alongside Islamic State, it is likely to
accelerate any hemorrhaging of influence from him to Baghdadi.
Nusra, which has been trying with allies to remove its name from the
U.N. terrorist list, was taken by surprise when U.S.-led coalition
warplanes bombed several of its positions in Idlib province.
Several commanders are believed to have been killed in the strikes,
including Kuwaiti-born Mohsin al-Fadhli - also known as Abu Asmaa
al-Jazrawi - reputedly a former member of Osama bin Laden's inner
circle, and whom United State officials call the head of the
"Khorasan group".
Khorasan is the Islamic term for an area including parts of Pakistan
and Afghanistan, where al Qaeda's main council is believed to be in
hiding.
ATTACKS ON LEADERS
The source close to the Nusra leadership said the Khorasan group was
led by veterans from Afghanistan.
"It is a very small group - dozens of fighters only. It is more
symbolic because it is composed of veterans who came from
Afghanistan, and they are all wanted by Washington. They directly
follow the Qaeda leadership," he said.
Another Nusra source said Fadhli and al-Golani had fallen out
recently but had continued to cooperate.
The strikes on the "Khorasan group" also showed that the United
States knew more than it should, he said. This could embarrass Nusra
leaders by leading fighters to suspect they were infiltrated. Nusra
leaders have reportedly gone underground and changed locations since
the strikes. "The precision of the raids on these positions shows clearly that
the Americans have intelligence members among the Nusra fighters. It
is very clear to us now," the Nusra source said.
Islamic State fighters and sympathizers have vowed to respond to the
strikes. In particular they accused Saudi Arabia of being the
mastermind behind the attacks.
But jihadis also say the group is in no hurry and is waiting to see
what the coalition plans to do. The group's leaders went underground
even before the strikes, it has evacuated most of its buildings in
its stronghold of Raqqa province, and its fighters are rarely seen
on the streets.
"The response will be in every country that took part in bombing
Muslims and their state," said an Islamic State fighter in Syria.
"Masks have fallen. In our eyes, it fell a long time ago, but now
Muslims across the world saw it."
(Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Will Waterman)
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