Blinken says Syria’s HTS should learn from Taliban isolation

NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Syria’s triumphant HTS rebels to follow through on promises of inclusion, saying it can learn a lesson from the isolation of Afghanistan’s Taliban.

The Islamist movement rooted in Al Qaida and supported by Turkey has promised to protect minorities since its lightning offensive toppled strongman Bashar Al Assad this month following years of stalemate.

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“The Taliban projected a more moderate face, or at least tried to, in taking over Afghanistan, and then its true colours came out. The result is it remains terribly isolated around the world,” Blinken said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

After some initial overtures to the West, the Taliban reimposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law that includes barring women and girls from secondary school and university.

“So if you’re the emerging group in Syria,” Blinken said, “if you don’t want that isolation, then there’s certain things that you have to do in moving the country forward.”

Blinken called for a “non-sectarian” Syrian government that protects minorities and addresses security concerns, including keeping the fight against the Islamic State group and removing lingering chemical weapons stockpiles.

Blinken said that HTS can also learn lessons from Assad on the need to reach a political settlement with other groups.

“Assad’s utter refusal to engage in any kind of political process is one of the things that sealed his downfall,” Blinken said.