The US military in Afghanistan Saturday urged warring parties to "return to the political path" in a rare open letter to the Taliban as a surge in violence risks shattering a hoped-for peace process.
In a two-page letter to the Taliban, US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett said "all sides" must show restraint to prevent further bloodshed.
"If the violence cannot be reduced then yes, there will be responses", Leggett wrote in a letter to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
"All sides must also return to the political path... Afghans should sit down now and begin talking about the future of Afghanistan together."