These Photos Are Not Related to the Kabul’s Russian Embassy Bombing
The Claim
These images depict the explosion at the entrance to the Russian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, following a suicide bombing on September 5, 2022.
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Three images have been circulating online, purportedly showing the suicide bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 5, 2022.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The images are outdated and unrelated to the recent suicide bombing outside the Russian embassy in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul.
2017 Suicide Bombing in Kabul
A Reverse Image Search and a Google Advanced Search revealed that the first image is out of date and has nothing to do with the recent suicide bombing outside the Russian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. This photo was taken in 2017, and it depicts a suicide bombing in Kabul's diplomatic district.
According to the Washington Post, the massive blast caused by the bombing killed at least 80 people and injured more than 460 others.
The second photo was also found to be out of date after visual investigation. The image was included in an Al Jazeera article published in July 2019 about a Taliban attack in Kabul that killed 16 and injured dozens of children.
Photo Description: A screenshot from the Al Jazeera report published in July 2019.
According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban detonated a powerful car bomb during morning rush hour in an area of Afghanistan's capital housing military and government buildings. According to the report, 105 people were injured, including 51 children and five women.
The third photo is from February 2005. According to ABC News, the image depicts rescue personnel hosing down a burning vehicle following a bomb blast in Beirut that targeted Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's convoy.
ABC News published the image on June 16, 2022, after “appeals judges at an international tribunal sentenced two Hezbollah group members to life imprisonment for their roles in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the deaths of 21 other people in 2005.”
Suicide Attack Killed at Least Six People in Kabul
According to Al Jazeera, two Russian embassy employees were among six people killed and at least ten others injured in a suicide bombing at the embassy entrance on September 5, 2022.
In a statement released late on Monday via Telegram, the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility and claimed that one of its fighters "blew up his suicide vest in a gathering attended by Russian employees" close to the embassy.
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