The visit by two senior US officials came as Washington seeks support for the evacuation of Americans and at-risk Afghans left behind in Afghanistan as well as the building of consensus among allies on how to respond to the new Islamist rulers.
*Russia has stated conditions for the possible participation in the inauguration ceremony of the new Afghan government.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia could attend the event if it is inclusive. Earlier, the Taliban confirmed that it had sent invitations to Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar to attend the ceremony to announce the formation of the new government.
*The Taliban fired shots into the air to disperse about 70 people, mostly women, who had gathered outside the Pakistani Embassy, holding banners and chanting slogans against what they called the interference in internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Taliban held a meeting with Pakistan to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan.
