Some units of al-Nusra began taking part in clashes against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,
[62] and in February 2014, after continued tensions, al-Qaeda publicly disavowed any relations with ISIS.
[63] In the same month, al-Jawlani threatened to go to war with ISIS over their suspected role in the killing of senior
Ahrar ash-Sham commander Abu Khaled al-Souri. al-Jawlani gave ISIS five days to submit evidence that they were innocent in the attack to three imprisoned
Jihadist clerics,
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi,
Abu Qatada al-Falastini, and
Suleiman al-Alwan.
[64] On April 16, 2014, the ISIS killed al-Nusra's
Idlib chief Abu Mohammad al-Ansari together with his family,
SOHR reported.
[65] In May 2014 open fighting soon broke out between ISIS and Al-Nusra in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, leaving hundreds dead on both sides.
[66] By July 2014, al-Nusra has largely been expelled from the province.
[67]
In July 2014, an audio recording attributed to al-Jawlani appeared online, in which he said that al-Nusra planned to establish an
Islamic emirate in areas of Syria that they have a presence. A statement issued on July 12, 2014 by al-Nusra's media channel affirmed the authenticity of the recording but that they had not yet declared the establishment of an emirate.
[68][69][70][71]