US Warns Taliban to End Violence, Will Isolate Group If They Take Power Through Force

U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C) and Qatar's envoy on counter-terrorism Mutlaq al-Qahtani (R) walk down a hotel lobby in Qatar's capital Doha during an international meeting on the escalating conflict in Afghanistan on Aug. 10, 2021. Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S. peace envoy urged Taliban forces on Tuesday to stop the armed violence and “negotiate a political settlement,” warning insurgents they won’t be recognized internationally after coming to power through force.

The warning comes as the militant group took a seventh provincial capital in northern Afghanistan in under a week amid claims that government forces simply retreated without fighting.