Old Photos Shared as Recent Afghan Mosque Explosion
The Claim
Photos show an explosion in a mosque on April 21, 2022, in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan.
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Emerging story
Social media users and news websites are circulating photos purporting to show an explosion at a mosque in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, on April 21, 2022.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's investigation found the circulating claim misleading, as the photos are old and unrelated to the recent explosion in Afghanistan.
Old Photo Recirculating
The first photo was taken on August 3, 2018, during a suicide attack in a Shiite mosque in Gardez, eastern Afghanistan. The photo was taken by Farid Zaher for Agence France-Presse.
Two other photos that have been circulated were taken on October 8, 2021. These photos also show a suicide bomber who attacked a mosque in Kunduz province, northeastern Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Mosque Explosion
The photos began circulating following an explosion at a Shiite mosque in northern Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday, April 21, 2022, which killed at least 12 Shiite Muslim worshippers and injured dozens more.
According to the BBC, the ISIS affiliate group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Additional Reporting by Misbar's Arabic Team
