The origins of Jabhat al-Nusra?

In an article, quoting abu Basir al-Tartusi (Abd-al Mun'em Mustafa Halima), a Syrian jihadi cleric and theoretician, researcher Francois Burgat underlines the mystery surrounding the origin of the Syrian Jihadi movement Jabhat al Nusra. This is a rough translation of the online speech of Abu Basir.  "I've never heard of this group or those who run it. This does not mean that its fighters are not sincere and genuine. We face an infidel tyrant ( President Assad), who is illegitimate and criminal. He does not hesitate to play all sorts of roles to stay in power - including using the Mujahideen.  He has already used this type of process in the 1980s… which led dozens of young Syrians behind bars”.  Al Tartusi also underlines the fact that regular Syrian can fight openly while members of Jabhat al-Nusra hide behinds masks. He also criticizes the discourse adopted by the group, critical to the Syrian population’s appeal to the international community. Jabhat al-Nusra had previously said that appealing to the  international community was a “rare perversion, an absolute crime, a supreme calamity”.

While there is a possibility that Jabhat al-Nusra might have been originally a spawn of the Syrian intelligence, it is clear now, that with the multiple defections within the secret services and the current chaos reigning on Syria, it has opted for its own agenda…