Al-Qaeda in Iraq admit that Syria's Jabhat al Nusra is part of their network

Jabhat al Nusra has long been considered to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq has admitted for the first time that the Syrian militant group, Jabhat al-Nusra, is a part of their network, AFP reported on Tuesday.

The Iraqi group, who have claimed responsibility for the killing of an estimated 4,000 people, confirmed in an audio message posted on Jihadi forums that the Syrian opposition fighters were an offshoot of their network.

Commentators have speculated for many months that the two groups are linked. Nusra, known as the fiercest of the Syrian opposition militias, was recently labelled as a terrorist organization by the U.S.