A group loyal to al-Qaida's official Syrian arm the Al-Nusra Front will head soon to the governorate of al-Raqqa in northern Syria to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

The daily said in a report published on Wednesday that Al-Nusra Front fighters are angered by the “achievements accomplished by the Islamic State,” which prompted Abou Malek al-Shami, the emir of the al-Qaida-linked group in al-Qalamoun, to issue an audio tape in order to convince the group’s members not to defect.

The group is allegedly comprised of Lebanese and Syrian nationals.

Last week, al-Shami promised in an audio message to free Islamist prisoners in Roumieh “within days,” describing the inmates as “Muslim captives and jihadist brethren.”