US envoy to warn Taliban not to bet on Afghan takeover

KABUL – A U.S. bid envoy was backmost successful the Middle East connected Tuesday to pass the Taliban not to prosecute a subject triumph connected the crushed and present a blunt message: A Taliban authorities that comes to powerfulness done unit successful Afghanistan volition not beryllium recognized.

The U.S. State Department said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy, was successful Doha, Qatar, wherever the Taliban support a governmental office, to “help formulate a associated planetary effect to the rapidly deteriorating concern successful Afghanistan.”

The improvement comes amid a weekslong, relentless Taliban violative arsenic American and NATO forces finalize their pullout from war-torn Afghanistan.

The insurgents person captured 5 retired of 34 provincial capitals successful the state successful little than a week. They are present battling the Western-backed authorities for power of 3 others, including the metropolis of Lashkar Gah, the superior of confederate Helmand province, and the metropolis of Kandahar, the superior successful neighboring Kandahar province.

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The militants' expanse comes contempt condemnations by the planetary assemblage and the Taliban's refusal to instrumentality to the negotiating table.

Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy, would “press the Taliban to halt their subject violative and to negociate a governmental settlement, which is the lone way to stableness and improvement successful Afghanistan,” the State Department said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban subject main released an audio connection to his fighters connected Tuesday, ordering them not to harm Afghan forces and authorities officials successful territories they conquer. The signaling was shared connected Twitter by the Taliban spokesperson successful Doha, Mohammad Naim.

In the astir five-minute audio, Mohammad Yaqoob, the lad of precocious Taliban person Mullah Mohammad Omar, besides tells the insurgents to enactment retired of abandoned homes of authorities and information officials who person fled, permission marketplaces unfastened and support places of business, including banks.

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It was not instantly wide if Taliban fighters connected the crushed would heed Yaqoob's instructions. There person been reports by civilians who person fled Taliban advances of heavy-handed attraction by the insurgents — schools being burned down and repressive restrictions connected women.

There person besides been reports of revenge killings successful areas wherever the Taliban person gained control. The insurgents person besides claimed work for sidesplitting a comedian successful confederate Kandahar, assassinating the government's media main Kabul and a bombing that targeted acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, sidesplitting 8 and wounding more. The curate was not harmed successful the attack.

The intensifying warfare has besides accrued the fig of civilian casualties.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that its unit has treated much than 4,000 Afghans this period successful their 15 facilities crossed the country, including successful Helmand and Kandahar, wherever Afghan and U.S. airstrikes are trying to rein successful the Taliban onslaught.

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“We are seeing homes destroyed, aesculapian unit and patients enactment astatine tremendous risk, and hospitals, energy and h2o infrastructure damaged,” Eloi Fillion, ICRC’s caput of delegation successful Afghanistan, said successful a statement.

“The usage of explosive weaponry successful cities is having an indiscriminate interaction connected the population," Fillion added. “Many families person nary enactment but to fly successful hunt of a safer place. This indispensable stop.”

The lightning velocity astatine which the Taliban person accumulated battlefield gains has lent urgency to the request to restart talks. The surge began successful April, erstwhile the U.S. and NATO announced they would extremity their subject beingness and bring the past of their troops home. The last day of the withdrawal is Aug. 31 but the U.S. Central Command has said the pullout is already 95% complete.

On Monday, the U.S. emphasized that the Biden medication present sees the combat arsenic 1 for Afghan governmental and subject leaders to triumph oregon lose.

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“When we look back, it’s going to travel down to enactment and what enactment was demonstrated, oregon not” by Afghans, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said astatine a Pentagon quality conference. “It’s their state to support now. It’s their struggle.”

Khalilzad, the designer of the bid woody the Trump medication brokered with the Taliban, was expected to clasp talks with cardinal players, arsenic good arsenic “multilateral organizations” to spot however to restart talks and halt the Taliban onslaught.

The U.S. envoy volition besides apt question a committedness from Afghanistan’s neighbors and the portion not to admit a Taliban authorities that comes to powerfulness by force. When the Taliban past ruled Afghanistan, 3 countries recognized their rule: Pakistan, Saudi Arabi and the United Arab Emirates.

Senior Afghan officials whitethorn question to Doha successful the coming days, including Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the government's reconciliation council. Pakistan's nationalist information adviser, Moeed Yusuf, connected Monday called for “reinvigorated” efforts to get each sides successful the struggle backmost to talks, describing a protracted warfare successful Afghanistan arsenic a “nightmare scenario” for Pakistan.

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Yusuf, speaking to overseas journalists successful Islamabad, refused to definitively accidental whether Pakistan, which holds sizeable sway implicit the Taliban, would admit a Taliban authorities installed by force, saying alternatively that Pakistan wants to spot an "inclusive" authorities successful Kabul.

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Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee successful Washington contributed to this report.

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