US Urges Taliban to Restart Peace Talks, End Military Campaign
2021-08-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1An American diplomat has warned the Taliban that its military campaign to control Afghanistan will not result in a government that is recognized internationally.
2The diplomat, Zalmay Khalilzad, gave the warning Tuesday to Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar.
3The Taliban has a political office in Doha.
4Khalilzad has led U.S. peace efforts related to Afghanistan for several years.
5He and others hope to persuade Taliban leaders to return to peace talks with the Afghan government.
6But the Taliban has intensified military efforts in recent weeks to take control of wide areas of the country.
7The group's new campaign followed the U.S. decision last month to end its military activities in Afghanistan by the end of August.
8Most recently, Taliban fighters captured six out of 34 provincial capitals in less than one week.
9They included Kunduz -- one of the country's largest cities -- in Kunduz province.
10The Taliban is now battling the Western-backed Afghan government for control of several other provinces in the south.
11On Tuesday, Taliban forces entered Farah and were seen in front of the provincial governor's office.
12The fighting has driven thousands of people to Kabul, where many are living in open areas in the city.
13The latest Taliban gains have led to new efforts to restart peace talks aimed at ending the fighting.
14The goal is to begin a process to create an agreement for a power-sharing government.
15The Taliban has so far refused to return to peace negotiations.
16The new pressure from Khalilzad follows condemnation of the Taliban's moves by the international community.
17The United Nations has also warned the Taliban that any government that takes power by force will not be recognized.
18The U.S. State Department said in a statement Khalilzad's mission in Qatar is meant to "help formulate a joint international response" to the current situation.
19The diplomat plans to "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement," the statement said.
20The Taliban's military chief released an audio message to his fighters on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
21The message ordered the fighters not to harm Afghan forces or government officials in territories they seize.
22The five-minute message was recorded by Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
23It instructed the rebels to stay out of empty homes belonging to government officials,
24to leave marketplaces open and to protect places of business, including banks.
25It remains unclear, however, whether Taliban fighters would obey the orders.
26Some civilians who have fled Taliban forces have said they had put repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools.
27The office of the U.N. human rights chief said it has received reports of executions, revenge killings and military use and destruction of homes, schools and medical centers.
28Many civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting.
29The U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday her office had counted at least 183 deaths and hundreds of injured among civilians in several cities in recent weeks.
30I'm Bryan Lynn.
1An American diplomat has warned the Taliban that its military campaign to control Afghanistan will not result in a government that is recognized internationally. 2The diplomat, Zalmay Khalilzad, gave the warning Tuesday to Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban has a political office in Doha. 3Khalilzad has led U.S. peace efforts related to Afghanistan for several years. He and others hope to persuade Taliban leaders to return to peace talks with the Afghan government. 4But the Taliban has intensified military efforts in recent weeks to take control of wide areas of the country. The group's new campaign followed the U.S. decision last month to end its military activities in Afghanistan by the end of August. 5Most recently, Taliban fighters captured six out of 34 provincial capitals in less than one week. They included Kunduz -- one of the country's largest cities -- in Kunduz province. 6The Taliban is now battling the Western-backed Afghan government for control of several other provinces in the south. On Tuesday, Taliban forces entered Farah and were seen in front of the provincial governor's office. 7The fighting has driven thousands of people to Kabul, where many are living in open areas in the city. 8The latest Taliban gains have led to new efforts to restart peace talks aimed at ending the fighting. The goal is to begin a process to create an agreement for a power-sharing government. The Taliban has so far refused to return to peace negotiations. 9The new pressure from Khalilzad follows condemnation of the Taliban's moves by the international community. The United Nations has also warned the Taliban that any government that takes power by force will not be recognized. 10The U.S. State Department said in a statement Khalilzad's mission in Qatar is meant to "help formulate a joint international response" to the current situation. The diplomat plans to "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement," the statement said. 11The Taliban's military chief released an audio message to his fighters on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. The message ordered the fighters not to harm Afghan forces or government officials in territories they seize. 12The five-minute message was recorded by Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. It instructed the rebels to stay out of empty homes belonging to government officials, to leave marketplaces open and to protect places of business, including banks. 13It remains unclear, however, whether Taliban fighters would obey the orders. Some civilians who have fled Taliban forces have said they had put repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools. 14The office of the U.N. human rights chief said it has received reports of executions, revenge killings and military use and destruction of homes, schools and medical centers. 15Many civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting. The U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday her office had counted at least 183 deaths and hundreds of injured among civilians in several cities in recent weeks. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19___________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21province - n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into 22formulate - v. to develop all details of a plan for doing something 23response - n. an answer of reaction to something that has been said or done 24revenge - n. something that is done to punish someone who has done something bad to you