WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that Nusra Front militants remained a fair target for U.S. and Russian warplanes in Syria despite a decision to cut ties with al Qaeda and change its name to Jabhat Fatah al Sham.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said the Nusra Front’s announcement could simply be a rebranding exercise and the United States would judge it by its actions, goals and ideology.

Kirby also said the Russian and Syrian humanitarian exercise around Aleppo on Thursday appeared to actually be an attempt to force the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of militant groups.