An kafa al-Nusrah Front (ANF) a ƙarshen shekarar 2011 lokacin da shugaban ƙungiyar al-Qa’ida a Iraqi (al-Qa’ida in Iraq -AQI), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ya tura shugaban ANF Muhammad al-Jawlani zuwa Syria don ya jagoranci gidajen yarin ‘yan ta’adda. A watan Afrilu na 2013, al-Jawlani ya yi mubaya’a ga shugaban AQ Ayman al-Zawahiri. ANF ta ɓalle daga AQI sanna ta zama mai zaman kanta. A watan Janairun 2017, ANF ta haɗa kai da wasu ƙungiyoyin adawa masu tsauri, inda suka kafa ƙungiyar Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Har yanzu ANF ƙawar al-Qa’ida ce a Syria. 

Babban muradin ANF shi ne tsige Shugaban Syria Assad daga mulki tare da kafa daular Musulunci. ANF ta fi ƙarfi tare da iko da wani yanki a arewa maso yammacin Syria, inda take aiki a matsayin ‘yar adawa kuma take da tasiri a matakai daban-daban kan jagoranci a yankin da kuma shirya ayyuka tare da wasu daga waje. ANF ta kai hare-hare a faɗin Syria daban-daban, inda a lokuta da dama take harar fararen hula. 

A ranar 15 ga watan Mayu na 2014, Ma’aikatar Harkokin Wajen Amurka ta ayyana ANF a matsayin Ƙungiyar Ta’addanci ta Ƙasar Waje wato Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) bisa sashe na 219 na Dokar Ƙaura da Zama Ɗan Ƙasa, wadda aka yi wa gyara. Kafin haka, a ranar 14 ga watan Mayu na 2014 Ma’aikatar Harkokin Wajen Amurka ta ayyana ANF a matsayin ƙungiyar ta’addanci ta duniya bisa Umarnin Shugaban Ƙasa na Executive Order 13224, wanda aka yi wa gyara. Sakamakon haka, an hana ANF taɓa dukkan dukiyar da ta mallaka ko kadara waɗanda ke ƙarƙashin ikon Amurka, sannan an haramta wa Amurkawa hulɗar kuɗi da ANF. Laifi ne mutum ya samar ko ya yi yunƙurin samarwa ko ya taimaka wajen samar wa ANF kayan aiki da gangan.