UN chief calls on Taliban to halt offensive against Afghan govt. forces

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Taliban to “immediately halt” their military campaign against government troops and return to the negotiating table in good faith “in the interest of Afghanistan, and its people.”

The Taliban group significantly increased their attacks to seize more territories from government forces after the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan.

Violence has been surging across the war-torn country as provincial capitals fall to militants one after another quickly as the Taliban press ahead with their offensive across Afghanistan.

The militants seized Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, on Friday morning. They also captured Herat, a cultural hub in the west, and Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city.

Feroz Koh, the capital of the central province of Ghor, and the capitals of Zabul and Uruzgan provinces in the south are also among more than a dozen provincial capitals that fell to the militant group, which reached some 50 kilometers of capital Kabul on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, Guterres said that humanitarian needs were “growing by the hour” as Afghanistan is largely spinning out of control.

“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: taking power through military force is a lost proposition. That can only lead to a protracted civil war or the complete isolation of Afghanistan,” he said.

The UN chief noted that more than 1,000 people have been killed or wounded from indiscriminate attacks by Taliban against civilians, notably in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces, in just the past month.

“I call on all parties to take heed of the conflict’s heavy toll and its devastating impact on civilians. They all must do more to protect civilians,” Guterres added.

He stressed that only an Afghan-led negotiated political settlement could ensure peace, saying that the world body was determined to contribute to a peace deal.