Global Community Calls for Urgent Taliban Cease-fire 

ISLAMABAD - Foreign diplomatic missions in Afghanistan called for the Taliban on Monday to urgently cease their military offensive, saying it runs counter to claims the insurgent group wants a negotiated settlement to the war.

The collective call comes a day after the Taliban and senior envoys representing the Afghan government ended a two-day meeting in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, without reporting any significant progress on peace talks. The insurgent violence “thwarts efforts to arrive at a negotiated solution to the conflict and harms and displaces the civilian population,” 15 missions, including the United States, along with the NATO envoy in the country lamented in a joint statement. "The Taliban’s offensive is in direct contradiction to their claim to support a negotiated settlement of the conflict, and to the Doha peace process,” the statement said.