Old Photos Resurfaced Following Recent Explosions in Afghanistan
The Claim
Images depict the recent September explosions in Afghanistan.
News posted on
Emerging story
Photos purporting to show an explosion in a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat in September have gone viral on social media and news websites.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The images are old and unrelated to the recent explosions in Afghanistan.
2018 Picture of a Blast in Kandahar
Using TinEye, we found that the image has been circulated since May 2018. According to Reuters, the picture was taken by Azeem Zmarial. It depicts a cloud of smoke after an explosion on May 22, 2018, in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Reuters reported that the blast, which occurred in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on May 22, 2018, caused dozens of casualties. According to News reports, the explosion killed 16 people and left 38 others injured, including several children.
The explosion caused a large cloud of dust into the air, and officials said it was caused by two containers stored in a mechanics workshop.
Old Image From 2019 Kabul Explosion
The second image is also outdated and unrelated to the recent explosions in Afghanistan. It was already uploaded online in 2019 following an explosion in Kabul, killing at least four people. Media outlets noted that about a hundred people, mostly students, were injured. The Taliban said that they wanted to target the procurement department of the Afghan Ministry of Defense and have taken responsibility for the attack, the BBC reported.
Based on the findings, the images have nothing to do with the explosions in Herat and Kabul, where the explosion at the entrance of the Russian embassy recently occurred. Misbar has previously debunked images purporting to show the blast near Kabul’s Russian embassy.
Herat’s Mosque Blast Killed at Least 18
Eighteen people, including a high-profile pro-Taliban scholar, were killed, and 23 others were injured in an explosion at a mosque in the city of Herat in Western Afghanistan on September 2, 2022, Al Jazeera reported.
Social media users have circulated images depicting what appeared to be blood-stained bodies scattered around the mosque.
Suicide Bombing Outside Kabul’s Russian Embassy
On September 5, 2022, six people, including two embassy employees, were killed, and at least ten others were injured in a suicide bombing at the entrance of the Russian Embassy in Kabul. Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Photo Description: ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack (Reuters).
Read More
2019 Photo Shared as Attack on a Sunni Mosque in Afghanistan
