How these Obama administration officials can continue to balance such sizable obfuscations on the tip of a pin is beyond my comprehension. Al-Nusra Front is the jihadist arm of al-Qaeda in Syria.
The Al Nusra Front jihadists’ fight alongside, and with, the Free Syrian Army. Their goals and agenda is exactly the same. Yet somehow, Secretary Kerry can ideologically parse the FSA as good, and Al-Nusra as bad, and somehow conflate that to claim some kind of U.S. engagement policy will benefit the FSA but yet carve out no benefit for Al-Nusra.
It is important to note in December 2012 the U.S. Administration labeled Al-Nusra Front as a “Terrorist Organization” :
(Via New York Times) WASHINGTON — The United States has formally designated the Al Nusra Front, the militant Syrian rebel group, as a foreign terrorist organization. (link)