US envoy in Doha to press Taliban for end to offensive: State Dept

Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq (L) and US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C) arrive at a hotel in Doha for an international meeting on the escalating conflict in Afghanistan, August 10, 2021.

The US negotiator on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, arrived in Doha on Tuesday for an international meeting on the escalating conflict in Afghanistan. He "will press the Taliban to stop their military offensive" at talks in Doha this week, the State Department said Monday after the insurgents seized a series of provincial capitals. "Ambassador Khalilzad will be in Doha to help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan," the department added in a statement.Officials from Afghanistan's most vested neighbours -- Pakistan, China and Iran – are also attending meetings.  Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began the final stage of a withdrawal set to be completed before the end of the month. "The increased tempo of Taliban military engagement, resulting civilian causalities in armed conflict between the sides, and alleged human rights atrocities are of grave concern," the US statement said.