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Old photo falsely linked to Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan

12 October, 2025 3:51 pm

On October 10, the sound of multiple explosions was heard in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. The Taliban government and local Afghan media claimed these were airstrikes. The Taliban government blamed Pakistan for these alleged airstrikes. Recently, in reports published by domestic media on this incident, a photo was published claiming to be a scene from the said attack. The circulated photo shows smoke from an explosion in the night sky.

See reports containing this photo published in the media: DBC News, RTV, Boishakhi News, Ekhon TV, Bijoy TV, Inqilab, Jaijaidin, Manobkantha, Janakantha, Dhaka Post, Dhaka Mail, Barta Bazar, Joom Bangla, Bangladesh Journal, Amader Shomoy, Amar Sangbad, Protidiner Sangbad, Sonali News, Amar Barta, BD Today, Bayanno, Sangbad Prokash, Delta Times, Views Bangladesh, The Dhaka Express, Dainik Paribar, Bortoman Kotha, Radio Today, Amader Brahmanbaria, News Now24, Sangbad, BD24Live, Dainik Sangu, Sobar Desh, Dainik Bangla Express, Banglabazar Patrika, Apon Desh, Nandito TV, Diner Kontho, Eidin Eisomoy, Sokaler Bani, Sokaler Alo, Amader Kagoj, Probasir Diganta, Khobor Songjog, Soddo Sangbad, Diamond News, Swadesh Bidesh, Dhaka Report24, Probal News, and Breaking News BD.

See posts on media Facebook pages here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).

See other posts circulated on Facebook here (Archive) and here (Archive).

See reports published in Indian media using the same photo: Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Kashmir Monitor, Republic World, Daily Guardian, OrissaPOST, Hindustan Times, and Najorbondi.

Fact-check

The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the circulated photo has no connection with the recent explosions in Kabul, Afghanistan. In reality, the photo has been on the internet since last August. At that time, several media outlets published the photo with the claim that it was an incident of Israeli forces carrying out an attack in Damascus, Syria.

A reverse image search for the photo in question led to two reports published on the website of the Iran-based media outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency, on August 16 and August 17. Both reports used this photo as the feature image.

These reports claimed that the photo was of a car explosion incident in the Al-Mazza area of Syria’s capital, Damascus. One report also claimed a connection between the Israeli forces and the said explosion.

Following the information obtained, a keyword search led to a report published on the website of the Afghanistan-based media outlet, Afghan Voice Agency, also from August 7, containing the same photo. However, this report claimed that the photo showed the scene of an Israeli airstrike in a different area of Syria.

But after multiple relevant keyword searches, no video footage of the attacks or explosions in Syria at that time could be found that matched the said photo.

Therefore, while it could not be confirmed whether the explosion photo is from Syria, it has been confirmed that the photo is not of the recent explosion incident in Afghanistan.

Thus, an old photo of an explosion existing on the internet has been circulated with the claim that it shows the scene of the recent explosions in Afghanistan; which is misleading.