Al-Nusra Front, one of the jihadist Syrian rebel groups that has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, has posted a video to YouTube documenting its preparations for a suicide bombing attack using a truck.

The video features a man calling himself “Abu Zubair”, who was recruited by Al-Nusra from outside of Syria to carry out a suicide bombing.

"Abu Zubair" explains prior to leaving to carry out the attack that he, as did many fighters, left his family in order to help save Muslims and not to fight other Muslims. He says that suicide bombings are not an escape from reality but a necessary step in the war against “the enemies of Allah”.

He then asks that prayers be held for him so he can fulfill his wish to go to heaven as a “shahid” (martyr).

The clip documents the truck bomb arriving at the target, military headquarters northwest of Damascus, and suddenly a loud explosion is heard. Seconds before the truck’s arrival the soldiers can be seen moving about the headquarters and gunfire is heard, likely due to the truck being identified by the soldiers as a suspicious one.

This method of suicide attacks is characteristic of Al-Nusra, which regards suicide bombings as a weapon which is particularly effective against military headquarters and government institutions.

Members of Al-Nusra and other Syrian rebels groups have committed atrocities during the Syrian civil war, including publicly beheading a Catholic priest who was accused of collaborating with Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

Some of the Islamist groups have attempted to soften their image in an attempt to win hearts and minds - holding stand up comedy shows and handing out toys to local children.