RASC News Agency: Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US Department of State, recently addressed the comments made by the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister regarding the Durand Line, expressing support for the territorial integrity of both Pakistan and Afghanistan within the framework of their internationally recognized borders. The spokesperson for the US Department of State raised this issue during a press briefing held yesterday, Feb 21.
Afghanistan, currently under Taliban control, stands as the only country in the world that does not officially acknowledge its border with Pakistan. Abbas Stanekzai, the designated spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently asserted that the group, like its predecessors, does not recognize the Durand Line as the official border delineation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to Abbas Stanekzai’s statements, denouncing them as “baseless and self-serving.” Nevertheless, Miller disclosed that the government of the United States approved over 18,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghanistan-American collaborators last year, marking the highest issuance of SIVs in a single year.
The spokesperson for the Department of State reiterated the call for the US Congress to endorse the residency program for Afghanistan-American collaborators in the United States.
