The head of al-Qaeda's Syrian branch claims it is winning the civil war and warns that it will reject any outcome of next month's peace talks.
In his first interview, the man known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, wearing a scarf over his face, said victory would come "in a matter of days".
"The battle is almost over, we have covered about 70 per cent of it, and what's left is small," he told al-Jazeera television. "We will achieve victory soon." As President Bashar al-Assad's regime prepares for a peace conference in Switzerland with Western Governments and Russia, Golani said: "We will not recognise any results that come out of the Geneva 2 Conference, nor will the children or women of Syria.
"Those taking part in the conference do not represent the people who sacrificed and shed blood. Besides, who has authorised them to represent the people?"
Golani, who comes from Golan, has remained anonymous since he emerged in early 2012 as the leader of a new group, Jabhat Al-Nusra.
