US warning to Taliban

A US peace envoy has warned the Taliban that any government that comes to power through force in Afghanistan will not be recognised internationally, after a series of cities fell to the insurgent group.

Zalmay Khalilzad travelled to Doha in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, to tell the group there is no point in pursuing victory on the battlefield because a military takeover of Kabul would guarantee they will be global pariahs.

He and others hope to persuade Taliban leaders to return to peace talks with the Afghan government as American and Nato forces finish their withdrawal from the country.

The insurgents have captured five out of 34 provincial capitals in less than a week, and are now battling for control of several others.