First there was an audio announcement by the chief deputy to al-Qaida leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, named Sheikh Ahmad Hasan Abu al-Khayr, which paved the way for the split. The good of the "ummah" (people) is more important than any one group or individual. You can read a transcript of the speech in English here.

A few hours later, al-Julani appeared, with two solemn looking guys on each side. Here is a video of his speech, published by Orient News, with English subtitles.

As predicted, Jolani said Jabhat al Nusra was disbanding in Syria and disassociating itself from al Qaida. It would now be known as Jabhat Fath al Sham.

The reasoning seems to be: Russia and the U.S. have targeted al Nusra in Syria as a terror group that is a part of al Qaida. The bombings have been killing innocent civilians. If there is no more al Nusra, there's no excuse for continued bombing in Syria -- unless the U.S. and Russia's claims are phony, and their real mission is a war against Muslims and aid to Assad and the Syrian regime. As explained by Dutch al Nusra associate al-Maqalaat in an interview the other day published by Pieter van Ostaeyen:

Breaking their ties with Al-Qaedah will form a dilemma for the US. If the US insists on bombing Jabhat Nusra in cooperation and coordination with Russia despite them breaking ties with Al-Qaedah, then this will without a doubt proof that the US is aiding the Syrian regime, it will proof that this is not a war against terrorist organizations, but a war against Muslims and Islam. The factions who still refuse to unite with Jabhat Nus