The New York Times is facing backlash this week from one of its own correspondents in light of the publication’s controversial decision to run an Op-Ed penned by a notorious multinational terror leader.
“What We, the Taliban, Want” was the headline Thursday as Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy to Taliban supreme commander Hibatullah Akhundzada, made his New York Times debut.
Professing deep lamentation for the human costs of the ongoing 18-year war in Afghanistan, Haqqani claimed in his open letter to the world that he looked forward to the signing of an upcoming peace deal with the U.S. — one the Taliban will allegedly work to respect “every single provision” of as the Afghan people strive toward lasting stability.
Times Afghanistan correspondent Mujib Mashal, howver, did not look kindly on the decision to publish Haqqani’s words, reminding readers on Twitter the terror leader has been anything but a “peace-maker” as the bloody conflict has dragged on through its second decade: