Dhaka: Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Syria’s Nusra Front, has said the rebel group’s prime target is to oust the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and has no immediate mission to establish an Islamic state in the region.

In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera the leader has said his group has no specific agenda to target the West.

‘We are only here to accomplish one mission, to fight the regime and its agents on the ground, including Hezbollah and others,’ Abu Mohammed al-Golani said in the interview aired on Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

‘Nusra Front doesn’t have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the US or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe al-Qaeda does that but not here in Syria,’ he said.

Syrian War

Golani has said if Americans attack his group, it will carry on a counter attack as ‘everybody has the right to defend themselves.’

The leader has also trashed the United States’ allegation about ‘Khorasan’ group which reportedly aspires to attack the US.

Golani has said, ‘There is nothing called Khorasan group. The Americans came up with it to deceive the public. They claim that this secret group was set up to target the Americans but this is not right.’

He has also complained that the US is fabricating stories as it is backing Asad government in the combat with Nusra front, reported Al-Jazeera.

Nusra is fighting in three fronts of which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL) is a major threat to Nusra, he added. 

‘Assad forces are fighting us on one end, Hezbollah on another and ISIL on a third front. It is all about their mutual interests,’ said the leader.

Establishing Islamic state

The Nusra leader has turned down any immediate chance of establishing an Islamic State inside the Syrian territory, but has not thrown away the possibility.

Responding to a question Golani has said when war is over, all factions and groups in the country will be consulted before considering ‘establishing an Islamic state’.