The head of US diplomacy Anthony Blinken called on the radical Islamists from the group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham“, leading the coalition that seized power in Syria, to keep their promises of moderation if they want to avoid the isolation imposed on the Afghan Taliban, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
“The Taliban showed a more moderate face, or at least tried to do so, when they took control of Afghanistan, but then their true colors were revealed. The result is that they remain largely isolated in the world,” Blinken told the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations think tank in New York.
“If you don’t want that isolation, there are some things you have to do to move the country forward,” he added.
The coalition of armed groups took power on December 8, ending a civil war sparked by a 2011 crackdown on pro-democracy protests that killed half a million people and forced six million Syrians to flee the country.