Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Photo: Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
The Qatari foreign minister Saturday urged the Taliban to reduce escalation and cease fire, according to a ministry statement.
State of play: Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with the chief of the Taliban's political bureau to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.
What they're saying: The ministry said that the cease fire "would contribute to accelerating efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement that would guarantee a prosperous future for the government and people of Afghanistan."
The big picture: Representatives from the United States, China and other nations met this week and agreed they would not recognize "any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force."
Catch up quick: The Taliban has captured more than half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals and is closing in on Kabul.
- On Saturday, the Taliban took over the capitals of the provinces of Paktika and Logar, the latter of which is just miles from the Afghan capital.
Go deeper: Behind the scenes of the Biden administration as the U.S. ditches Kabul