This Video Does Not Feature the Taliban’s Vehicles Near the Iranian Border
The Claim
A video shows the Taliban forces moving heavy equipment and armored fighting vehicles near the border with Iran.
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During the recent clashes between Iran and the Taliban forces, social media users circulated a video purporting to show the Taliban moving heavy equipment and armored fighting vehicles near the border with Iran.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the video making the rounds to be outdated and unrelated to the recent clashes.
Outdated Video Used in Relation to Iran Taliban Clashes
Contrary to circulating claims, the video is not recent. It was shot in February 2022.
The video has striking similarities to a published YouTube video by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense of training exercises on February 3, 2022.
The terrain, soldier camouflage, rifles, BMP specifications, crew outfits, and even the placement of the IEA flag are nearly identical.
On February 3, 2022, Lukas Muller, a Twitter user, also shared two photos displaying the identical vehicle, the ex-ANA BMP/ZU-23-2 combination, which was prominently featured in the viral video.
Furthermore, these identical photos were shared on Reddit a year ago, accompanied by the caption, “An ex-ANA BMP/ZU-23-2 combo operated by the Taliban. Kandahar.”
Recent Border Clashes Between Iran and Afghanistan’s Taliban
Officials from both Afghanistan and Iran reported that clashes occurred in the border province of Nimroz on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian security forces and a Taliban border guard. The exchange of cross-border gunfire escalated tensions between Iran and Afghanistan, primarily due to a dispute over water resources.
The bilateral tensions have been fueled by recent Iranian accusations that the Taliban is violating a 1973 water-sharing treaty between Tehran and Kabul by impeding the flow of water from the Helmand River, which runs from Afghanistan to Iran's arid eastern border regions.
Both the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan and Iran announced on Sunday that the deadly clashes between their border security forces had subsided, with both sides engaging in talks to de-escalate tensions.
According to the United Nations, Afghanistan and Iran have been suffering a prolonged drought, and the drought conditions have worsened over the past decade.
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