By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor
The most prominent jihadist group involved in the Syrian conflict is reported to have merged with the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda, according to a leading figure in the terror network.
An online audio message, attributed to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, announced that his group has joined forces with the al Nusra Front in Syria.
According to the US intelligence monitoring group SITE, he said: "It is time to declare to the Levant and to the world that the al Nusra Front is simply a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq."
It is understood the groups will now operate under the title of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
The al Nusra Front has gained notoriety in Syria for its use of suicide bombings and other forms of attacks against President Bashar al Assad's regime.
A car bombing in Damascus on Monday bore the hallmarks of al Nusra It has claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Damascus and Aleppo, and has joined other rebel brigades in attacks on Mr Assad's forces.
The reported merger comes a day after a suicide car bomb, bearing all the hallmarks of an al Nusra-style attack, hit a central area of Damascus, killing at least 15 people and injuring 146 others.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.
On Sunday a recorded message made by al Qaeda's global figurehead, Ayman al Zawahiri, encouraged rebel groups to embrace the chance to create an Islamic jihadist state in Syria.
For some time experts have speculated that the al Nusra Front was receiving support from al Qaeda-linked insurgents in neighbouring Iraq.
In December last year the US State Department labelled al Nusra a foreign terrorist organisation, saying its creation was "an attempt by AQI to hijack the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes".
Al Qaeda's global leader Ayman al Zawahiri If verified, the announcement of the formal links between the two groups will further complicate the debate amongst the international community about whether or not to arm rebel groups in Syria.
In March, France and Britain argued that re-assessing an EU arms embargo for Syria had the potential to tilt the balance on the ground and help prompt a political settlement of the conflict.
But fears remain over sending arms to rebels due to the risk of weapons falling into the hands of groups like al Nusra.
At least 70,000 people are believed to have been killed in Syria since the rebellion against the Assad government began three years ago.
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