A former member of al-Qaeda and the Syrian foreign minister announced that Syria is considering joining the Mecca Defense Alliance Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaybani, a founding member of Jabhat al-Nusra, a former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, announced that Damascus is considering the possibility of joining the Mecca Defense Alliance, a proposed NATO-style defense agreement that includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. No formal request was made and no final decision was made. Source: AFP.