China Calls On US to Help Maintain Stability in Afghanistan

"The US recently expressed its intention to assist Afghanistan in maintaining stability. We hope that the US can earnestly fulfill its commitment and step up efforts," Deputy Chinese UN Ambassador Dai Bing told the council.

Afghanistan's UN Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai also urged the Security Council to act to "prevent a catastrophic situation."

He told reporters after the meeting that he was confident the Afghan army could withstand the Taliban offensive and that the country was not yet in a civil war.

"We have a six months security plan to stabilize the situation. And not only that, we have seen an outpouring of support from communities and villages that were recently attacked by the Taliban ... so we have a lot of interest among the population to support the army," he said.

Taliban insurgents captured an Afghan provincial capital and killed the government's senior media officer in Kabul on Friday amid a deteriorating security situation as the US and other foreign troops withdraw.