Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, urged the Taliban to reduce the escalation and establish a ceasefire, which would contribute to accelerating efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan.

This came when the Qatari Foreign Minister received today, Saturday, the head of the Taliban political office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader, in Doha.

A statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry added that during the meeting, they discussed the latest field developments in Afghanistan, both security and political, and the follow-up to the ongoing Afghan peace negotiations in Doha.

Qatar, in cooperation with the United Nations and international partners, has been making continuous efforts for several years to bring peace, security and stability to Afghanistan.

It is noteworthy that Doha last week hosted the international conference on Afghanistan, in which the participants stressed that they would not recognize any government in Afghanistan that is imposed by the use of military force.

The participants also urged the two parties to the conflict to stop the violence and take steps to build confidence and expedite efforts to reach a political settlement.

The Taliban expanded its control into new provinces, most notably Paktia, Paktika and Logar, and thus became 70 kilometers from the capital, Kabul, and government sources said that government forces repelled attacks on the outskirts of Mazar Sharif city, the center of Balkh province (in the north of the country).

Within days, the Taliban managed to control the centers of 18 out of 34 provinces. Among the capitals of the provinces that fell into their control were Kandahar, which is the second largest city in Afghanistan, Herat is the third largest city, in addition to Ghazni, which is located on the road to Kabul, where they are separated by a distance It does not exceed 149 km.

On February 29, 2020, Washington signed the peace agreement with the Taliban in Doha, and pledged the exit of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, which marked a turning point in the country.

Clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban are escalating, with the withdrawal of US forces from the country, and is scheduled to be completed by August 31, according to US President Joe Biden.