A woman's defaced picture outside a beauty parlour in Aleppo, Syria. As elsewhere in the country, there is a strong presence in Aleppo of the Al Qaeda-inspired Nusra Front, a extremist militant group that seeks an Islamic state in Syria. Many rebel fighters admire Nusra for the bravery of its soldiers even if not all agree with their austere vision. Two weeks ago I interviewed a Nusra Front military commander in northeastern Syria--the interview will soon be posted here.
