Will the real Mr. Jolani stand up?

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Ahmed al Shara, aka Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, would like you to think he is a changed man.

These days, Mr. Al-Jolani, a 41-year-old one-time Al Qaeda and Islamic State operative with a $10 million US bounty on his head, no longer spews jihadist fire and brimstone.

Instead, he preaches pluralism, religious tolerance, diversity, and forgiveness as his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels take control of Damascus, the Syrian capital.

With the departure to Moscow of toppled President Bashar al-Assad, ending the Assad family’s 54-year hold on Syria, many in the country and the international community ask which one is the real Mr. Al-Jolani.