Image Does Not Show New Governor of Afghanistan’s Bank

Megan Healey

News

12th September 2021

Image Does Not Show New Governor of Afghanistan’s Bank

Idris is a controversial choice for acting head (Getty Images).

The Claim

An image of a man holding a rifle shows the new governor of Afghanistan’s central bank.

News posted on

Emerging story

An image is circulating on social media which claims to show Afghanistan’s new central bank governor, Haji Mohammad Idris. The image shows a man holding a rifle while using a laptop in an office. Some social media users saw the post as satire, while many shared it in earnest.

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

MENA: The circulating image does not show Haji Mohammad Idris. Real photographs of Idris began circulating in late August when the Taliban named him the new acting governor of Afghanistan’s central bank. In these photos, he appears older than the man pictured at the desk, with very different facial features.

Muhammad Jalal on Twitter: "Haji Idris is the newly appointed Acting Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank Haji Idris is a resident of Taghan village in Khwaja Dukoh district of Jawzjan province.… https://t.co/upFvl7MqY9" — *The real Haji Mohammed Idris (Twitter).*

Idris was appointed as part of an effort to repair the country’s war-ravaged economy. He’s a controversial choice, as he has no formal background in finance or economics. Acting president Amrullah Saleh called him “a money launderer who was facilitating transactions between al-Qaeda sympathizers and Taliban,” according to CNN-News18. “This is a shame and betrayal and I don’t want to be a part of that,” he said.