Russian defense officials say ISIL and Al-Nursa Front are meeting to consider a new alliance against Assad

Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, announced today that Moscow's intelligence agencies have collected information suggesting that the terrorist groups ISIL and Al-Nursa Front have begun negotiations about merging to form a coalition against the government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

According to Konashenkov, several major unit commanders from Al-Nursa Front and ISIL are taking part in the talks. The Russian Defense Ministry believes the negotiations are to form an alliance to deter the Syrian government's planned offensive against the terrorist groups.

• Al-Nursa Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, was formed in early 2012, when it initially cooperated with ISIL. In 2013, the two groups had a falling out, later beginning an open armed conflict against one another.
• Russia has been carrying out airstrikes against targets in Syria since September 30. The United States and other nations have called on Russia to focus its airstrikes on ISIL position in Syria, rather than attack armed groups currently engaged in a war against the Syrian government. Moscow says ISIL has begun to retreat from its forward positions, as a result of Russian attacks.