Twitter users are scratching their heads and openly questioning the New York Times' standards after the outlet published an opinion piece by the Taliban’s deputy leader – a man on the FBI's most-wanted list with a $5mn bounty.

Considering the current position of the US in the Middle East, the Times running a piece penned by Sirajuddin Haqqani, entitled ‘What We, the Taliban, Want,’ did not sit well with many.

Social media users were quick to denounce the piece as “propaganda,” with several tweeting that publishing something written by the Taliban is “not a good look” for the NYT. One Twitter commenter wrote: “Nothing screams American defeat more than today’s oped.”