Al-Qaeda linked forces in Syria are gaining momentum as the country’s nearly two-year-long conflict approaches a critical juncture. The al-Nusra Front, which the U.S. last week designated as a terrorist organization, is seeing its profile and power rise as opposition forces close in on their goal of removing the Bashar al-Assad regime from power. The terror group is reportedly recruiting disenfranchised Sunnis to battle in Syria’s three-way regional proxy war, which has pitted Sunni-backed rebels against the Iran-backed regime against Kurdish groups. The Syrian conflict has left more than 40,000 dead. Al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in both Damascus and Aleppo.

[Photo: Bo Yaser / Wiki Commons]