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nusra front

Members of the Islamist Syrian rebel group, Jabhat al-Nusra, pose on top a tank in northern Syria earlier this year.

In Syria, the Nusra Front tries to distinguish itself from the Islamic State

Conflict

The group in Syria that was holding US journalist Theo Curtis is called the Nusra Front. It’s affiliated with al-Qaeda, but opposed to the Islamic State movement. Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, parses out who’s who.