Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson, stated that the US supports the territorial integrity of “both Afghanistan and Pakistan within their internationally recognised borders”.

This statement came in response to Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister’s comments regarding the Durand Line.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world that does not recognise its border with Pakistan. Abbas Stanikzai, Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, had said that the Taliban does not recognise the Durand Line as the official border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, like the previous governments.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan called Abbas Stanikzai’s statements "self-serving and fanciful".

However, Stanikzai’s statement had been welcomed by Hanif Atmar, the former foreign minister of Afghanistan. On February 17, Atmar wrote on X social media platform that despite the differences with the Taliban, he agrees with the statements of this Taliban official and that Stanikzai is not alone in his national stance.

18,000 Special Immigrant Visas

Meanwhile, on another issue, Miller told Marzia Hosseini, a reporter of Afghanistan International, that last year the US government approved more than 18,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to Afghan applicants outside the US.

He said that this number has been the highest in any single year.

The spokesperson of the State Department once again asked the US Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.