The UN special envoy to Afghanistan has questioned the Taliban's promise to find a political solution to the problem, telling the Security Council that the war has reached a "more terrible and destructive stage".
According to the British news agency Reuters, he said that "a thousand civilians have been killed in the last one month as a result of the Taliban operation."
Debra Lyons said that "a party that wanted to resolve the issue through negotiations would not risk the death of so many civilians, because it believes that the reconciliation process is no less than a challenge."
The Taliban continue their advance, capturing the provincial capital of Zaranj on Friday and killing an Afghan government media spokesman in Kabul.
"Now it's a different kind of war, Syria or Sarajevo," said Debra Lyons. Attacking urban areas causes more damage and more lives are lost, but attacking urban areas is a Taliban strategy.
Talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government began last year but have yielded no results.
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, told the Security Council that "the situation in Afghanistan has not been good before and has worsened since the withdrawal of foreign troops."
"There is no military solution to the Afghan situation, but in the current situation, the reality is that it is moving towards full-scale war and civil war," he said.
Senior US diplomat calls on Taliban to stop fighting and protect Afghan people (File Photo: AFP)
Senior US Ambassador Jeffrey Delaronts called on the Taliban to stop the war, find a political solution to the problem and protect the people of Afghanistan.
"The Taliban must listen to the voice of the international community that we will not accept military occupation or the Taliban's Islamic system."
Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, Ghulam Ishaqzai, has called on the Security Council to "prevent the situation from escalating."
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