The US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, travelled to Qatar on Tuesday to urge the Taliban to end their offensive after the group overran several Afghan provincial capitals, state department said in a statement.
The Taliban have increased attacks across the country since May, when the US and Nato formally began the withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan.
US President Joe Biden has said the American military mission will end on August 31.
"Ambassador Khalilzad will be in Doha to help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan," the US State Department said
"The increased tempo of Taliban military engagement, resulting civilian casualties in armed conflict between the sides, and alleged human rights atrocities are of grave concern."
Mr Khalilzad will "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive", it said.
Several rounds of meetings are expected to take place over three days in Doha, where the Taliban have their political office, it said.
The city has been hosting peace talks between the militants and the Afghan government since September.
"A negotiated peace is the only path to ending the war," the department said.
Mr Biden said it was up to the Afghan people to decide their future and that he would not consign another generation of Americans to a conflict that has lasted for two decades.
Taliban fighters have so far seized control of six provincial capitals, as well as border towns and trade routes.
On Monday, the insurgents captured Aibak in Samangan province. It is the fifth northern provincial capital the group has overrun.
They have also seized control of Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz province in the south-west.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US was deeply concerned about the Taliban advance, but that Afghan security forces were capable of fighting against the insurgent group.
"These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here at this particular moment," he said.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with a senior Afghan official overseeing Kabul’s stalled talks with the Taliban and repeated the importance of an “inclusive political settlement”.
Mr Blinken spoke with Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, and reaffirmed Washington’s “commitment to seek a just and durable political settlement that ends the war in Afghanistan", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“Both leaders deplored continuing Taliban attacks, loss of innocent Afghan lives and displacement of the civilian population and underscored the widespread international condemnation of these attacks,” he said.
They also discussed “ways to accelerate peace negotiations and achieve a political settlement”, Mr Price said.
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
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Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
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Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
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Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
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L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
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Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
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Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
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