Old images of Afghanistan showing people offering namaz and a victory march respectively are being falsely linked to the Taliban celebrations after they took control of the capital city of Kabul on August 15.
BOOM found that the photographs are old and are not linked to the takeover of Afghanistan and the presidential palace in Kabul by the Taliban militia and the collapse of the government.
The Taliban, hard-line Islamic militia from Afghanistan, reconquered the country on August 15, two weeks before US troops were scheduled for a complete pullout. Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani reportedly fled the country saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed as the Taliban took control of the presidential palace in Kabul. Disturbing visuals of citizens flooding the Kabul airport desperate to flee the country emerged on August 15 and 16 after the collapse of the government. Gunshots were heard as the people jostled to get into the few remaining aircraft. The Afghan airspace has since been closed, reported NDTV.com.
In this backdrop, a photograph showing a group of people offering prayers is being shared on social media with a caption in Bengali which translates to, "A thanksgiving prayer after winning Kabul."
(Original Text in Bengali: কাবুল বিজয়ের পর, শুকরানা নামাজ আদায় করছেন ৷)
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Another image showing a group of people in a jubilant mood is viral on Facebook with a Bengali caption which reads, "Alhamdulillah. Students have entered into Kabul city. Who will stop the victory and cheers of Islam? Shelters of oppressor have now started shivering".
(Original Text in Bengali: আলহামদুলিল্লাহ। ছাত্ররা কাবুল শহরে ঢুকে পড়েছে। ইসলামের বিজয় ধ্বনি ঠেকায় কে? বিশ্বের জালিমদের মসনদ কাঁপতে শুরু করেছে।)
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Also Read: No, CNN Did Not Praise Taliban For 'Wearing Masks' And 'Peaceful' Takeover
Fact Check
Claim 1: A Thanksgiving Prayer After Winning Kabul
BOOM ran a reverse image search on the photograph and found the same photograph on an article published on November 12, 2012 on The Atlantic . The caption of the image reads, "Afghans offering Eid al-Adha prayers on October 26, 2012 outside a mosque in the outskirt of Jalalabad, Afghanistan." The photo has been credited to international news agency Associated Press.
Further, we did a keyword search and found the photo on Associated Press's website. The caption with the photo reads , "Afghans offer Eid al-Adha prayers outside a mosque in the outskirt of Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012. Eid al-Adha is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God." Photographer Rahmat Gul from Associated Press took the photograph.
Claim 2: Alhamdulillah. Students Have Entered Into Kabul City. Who Will Stop The Victory Of Islam? Shelters Of Oppressor Have Now Started Shivering.
After running a reverse image search on the viral photograph, we found the same image on an article published by The Wire on June 17, 2018. The image on the article is captioned as, "People celebrate ceasefire in Rodat district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on June 16, 2018." The photo has been credited to international news agency Reuters.
We found the same image on the Reuters' website captioned as, "People celebrate ceasefire in Rodat district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan June 16, 2018."
More images from the incident can be seen here. According to reports, "Taliban militants headed into cities across Afghanistan on Sunday as they continued to celebrate their Eid ceasefire with feasts and selfies, raising questions about what happens when the ceasefire ends at midnight."
Also Read: Hoardings With Inciteful Speeches In UP Falsely Shared As WB, Chhattisgarh
