Misleading Video: Taliban Control Presidential Palace in Kabul

Hind Khoudary

News

17th August 2021

Misleading Video: Taliban Control Presidential Palace in Kabul

Taliban leaders partying after controlling Nimroz Palace (Twitter).

The Claim

Video shows the Taliban partying after seizing the presidential palace in Kabul.

News posted on

Magdy Ali

Major Surendra Poonia

Emerging story

Social media users are circulating a video clip claiming that it shows the Taliban members parting after they seized the presidential palace in Kabul.

Sad truth of modern world !

Finally ..Taliban occupied & settled in the Presidential Palace of Afghanistan 🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/6KsykYMa47
— Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) August 15, 2021

U can see what kind of animals the taliban are just by how they are eating food in the Presidential palace pic.twitter.com/lSXb9uyhsJ
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 16, 2021

Misbar’s Analysis

MENA: We have been closely following the Taliban's takeover, and we can confirm that the circulating clip was not during Taliban members entering the presidential palace. Al Jazeera obtained exclusive footage of Taliban leaders, surrounded by dozens of armed fighters, addressing the media from the country’s seat of power earlier on Sunday.

Taliban fighters have entered Afghanistan’s presidential palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country — in pictures https://t.co/fqqlySOdKy pic.twitter.com/sqUZGdssMr
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 15, 2021

Further search revealed the clip doing rounds online was viral on August 12, 2021. The clip shows Taliban leaders partying after controlling Nimroz Palace in Zaranj.

Taliban at Nimroz Governor's palace after the fall of Zaranj. Zaranj, capital of Nimroz is near border with Afghanistan & strategic in terms of connectivity with Chabahar. pic.twitter.com/2Qnw1fzo0w
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) August 12, 2021

The circulating claim is misleading.