The U.S. State Department stated that the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, will travel to the Qatari capital, Doha, "to pressure the Taliban to stop their military attack" in light of the swift advance of the insurgent group, which has seized the capitals of six Afghan provinces within a few weeks, coinciding with the U.S. military withdrawal from the country slated to be completed by the end of this month. The U.S. statement emphasized that "negotiating a peaceful solution is the only way to end the war."
On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad intends to conduct talks in Doha this week to "pressure the Taliban to halt their military offensive," following the group's takeover of six Afghan provincial capitals. The statement indicated that "the increasing pace of Taliban military actions, which have resulted in civilian casualties in this armed conflict between the parties, and the alleged atrocities of human rights violations, are of grave concern." It affirmed that "negotiating a peaceful solution is the only way to end the war."
The State Department added in its statement that "Ambassador Khalilzad will travel to Doha to assist in crafting a unified international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan." The intensity of fighting in Afghanistan has significantly escalated since May when the U.S.-led military coalition began the final phase of its troop withdrawal, which is set to be completed by the end of this month.
The Taliban now controls six of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals after seizing Shiberghan on Saturday and Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province in the southwest on Friday, near the border with Iran. The group appears unwilling to slow its rapid advance in the north, having announced attacks on Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest city in northern Afghanistan and the capital of Balkh province. However, residents and officials indicated that the insurgents have not yet reached there.
The speed of the Taliban's advance has surprised both observers and Afghan security forces despite the assistance provided by U.S. airpower.
