NY Times Under Fire For Publishing Article By Taliban Leader
American newspaper The New York Times is facing backlash for publishing an op-ed on Thursday written by deputy leader of the Afghan Taliban Sirajuddin Haqqani. In the article, the Taliban leader who is on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s most-wanted terrorist list, expresses his opinion on the ongoing peace talks between the United States and the Taliban.
He claims that his cohorts were not expecting the peace talks would end in anything less than the US military forces leaving Afghanistan because the earlier negotiation did not reach any conclusion.
“Nevertheless, we decided to try once more. The long war has exacted a terrible cost from everyone. We thought it unwise to dismiss any potential opportunity for peace no matter how meager the prospects of its success. For more than four decades, precious Afghan lives have been lost every day. Everyone has lost somebody they loved. Everyone is tired of war. I am convinced that the killing and the maiming must stop,” he says in the piece.
He also claims that his group did not choose to fight America.
“We did not choose our war with the foreign coalition led by the United States. We were forced to defend ourselves. The withdrawal of foreign forces has been our first and foremost demand. That we today stand at the threshold of a peace agreement with the United States is no small milestone.”
People on social media have strongly criticised the publication for giving a platform to Taliban leader to write what they termed propaganda.
The #2 Taliban leader (and who knows, perhaps a future minister in a post-war Afghan govt) has penned a NYT op ed.
In this piece lies an attempt to project the idea of a more moderate Taliban 2.0. Color me skeptical. I haven’t been won over. https://t.co/yOF5MweGLe— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) February 20, 2020
"The NYT would publish an op-ed from the Taliban before it would publish something defending technology companies!"
"Don't be so dramatic, Antonio." pic.twitter.com/nuNwtyRsrq
— Antonio García Martínez (@antoniogm) February 20, 2020
NYT the official newspaper of the Taliban……I hope your circulation goes up in Afghanistan because it’s going to suffer here after this blunder pic.twitter.com/EJ4deKD5ZA
— Jan Modzeleski (@ModzeleskiJan) February 21, 2020
And in a stunning display of camaraderie, ‘venerable’ @nytimes gives space to Taliban to make their own case in ‘coveted’ oped section of NYT. Liberals are no longer a cover for Islamists. Liberals are Islamists. https://t.co/913WoHbyjE
— Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht) February 20, 2020
It's not just that the NYT is publishing a piece from a veteran al Qaeda-linked operative, it's that the piece itself is so brazenly dishonest. It's bad Taliban propaganda. An embarrassment. https://t.co/3DxJ7qVElc
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) February 20, 2020
@nytimes has published an oped by a Taliban terrorist. It routinely rejects opeds on #PakistaniHindus who're being wiped out & on #KashmiriHindus who've been driven out of Kashmir by Islamists. NYT stands completely exposed today as an enabler of radical Islamic terrorists. pic.twitter.com/nYYPdPgCqG
— Sahana Singh (@singhsahana) February 21, 2020
Men: What the women want
NYT: What the Taliban want— Naila Inayat नायला इनायत (@nailainayat) February 20, 2020
The @nytimes published a piece written by a Taliban terrorist, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who’s on the FBI Most Wanted list. His group is responsible for 1,000+ dead Americans. If NYT want to dispel "enemy of the people" label they aren’t doing a great job by printing terrorist op-ed’s. pic.twitter.com/xoJO3zvKLe
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 20, 2020
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