When rebels deposed the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year, many Syrians greeted their new rulers with a mix of worry and cautious optimism.
The new government, led by a former jihadist fighter named Ahmed al-Shara, made sweeping promises to protect Syria’s many religious minorities and finally bring peace after more than a decade of civil war.
Mr. al-Shara distanced himself from his jihadist roots, including his past ties to Al Qaeda, and pledged to rein in the extrem
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