In the Trenches With Al Nusra (Excerpt from ’Inside the Battle: Al Nusra-Al Qaeda in Syria’)

VICE News filmmaker Medyan Dairieh gains exclusive access to the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, al Nusra, a jihadist group fighting against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and the Islamic State (IS). Spending more than a month with al Nusra and exploring their expanding territory, Dairieh meets the highest-ranking members of the organization, who reveal their identity on screen for the first time and discuss their military doctrine. Al Nusra, which swore allegiance to al Qaeda two years ago and is now emer