There are many differences between Syria and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Syria's de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has said.

In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, Sharaa denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan.

Sharaa said the countries were very different, with different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset.

“Afghanistan is a tribal community. Syria is completely different. The people just don’t think in the same way. The Syrian government and the ruling system will be in line with Syria’s history and culture,” he said.

He said he believed in education for women.

“When it comes to women’s education, of course. We have had universities in Idlib for more than eight years. I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60 percent.

"We've had universities in Idlib for more than eight years," Sharaa said, referring to Syria's north-western province that has been held by rebels since 2011.

"I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%."

Asked whether the consumption of alcohol would be allowed, Sharaa said: "There are many things I just don't have the right to talk about because they are legal issues."

He added that there would be a "Syrian committee of legal experts to write a constitution. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to follow the law".

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on Ahmad al-Sharaa’s remarks on Afghanistan.

The remarks come as girls above the sixth grade have been denied the right to education for more than three years and universities are also closed to women.

Reports suggest that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate has also recently decided to close medical institutes to girls.

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, has urged Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria to fulfill its promises of forming an inclusive government and learn from the global isolation faced by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, Blinken called for the establishment of a “non-sectarian” government in Syria that protects minorities and addresses security concerns.

“The Taliban (IEA) presented a more moderate face during their takeover of Afghanistan - or at least tried to - but their true nature later became evident,” he said.

As a result, the IEA remains globally isolated due to their failure to deliver on their commitments, he added.

He went on to state: “If you are an emerging group in Syria and wish to avoid such isolation, you must take specific actions to advance the country.”

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Syria’s HTS, has vowed that Syria will not follow the path of Afghanistan under the IEA.

Jolani has consistently advocated for protecting individual freedoms, ensuring women’s rights, and fostering a pluralistic society.

The Islamic Emirate, however, rejects Blinken's statements and says that Afghanistan is not currently isolated from the world and that they have relations with other countries.

The IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the Islamic Emirate government has fulfilled all its commitments made in Doha.

Meanwhile, a number of Afghan experts believe that the United States is still using political and economic pressure against the Islamic Emirate to achieve its political goals.

Two late-night traffic accidents in southeastern Afghanistan left at least 52 people dead and more than 65 injured, the Islamic Emirate confirmed early Thursday. 

The accidents on Wednesday night happened in Ghazni province. Both accidents involved buses and one involved a fuel tanker. 

According to a statement issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said: "It is with great regret that we learned that two fatal traffic accidents occurred on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, as a result of which 52 of our compatriots were martyred and 65 others were injured."

The Islamic Emirate has directed the relevant directorate’s to investigate the two accidents to determine the exact cause of both. 

The Directorate of Information and Culture of Ghazni province meanwhile said in a statement that 47 people had died and 73 others were injured in the accidents. 

The directorate stated that the injured had been taken to hospital; some of whom were in a critical condition. 

One accident involved a passenger bus and a fuel tanker and the other involved a passenger bus and truck.