This Video Does Not Feature Taliban’s Military Parade to Tease Iran
The Claim
A video showcases a Taliban military parade, wherein members mock Iran over the Helmand River dispute by carrying water barrels on their motorcycles.
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Amidst the recent clashes between Iran and Taliban, social media users circulated a video that allegedly shows a military parade where Taliban carry water barrels to mock Iran regarding the Helmand River issue.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the widely circulated video to be outdated and unrelated to the recent conflicts between Iran and the Taliban.
The Video Shows Taliban’s 2022 Military Parade
Contrary to the circulating claim, the video dates back to September 2022.
My Afghanistan, a YouTube channel, published the video on September 5, 2022, showing the Taliban's military parade.
According to the video’s title, the footage shows the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The viral video is a shortened version extracted from the original 16-minute video. Both the viral video and the original video display the channel sign "My AFG," indicating that the circulating video is a part taken from the full video available on YouTube.
Another similar video features the Taliban's military parade for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. This video was shared on YouTube of a gathering held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at Bagram Airport.
In the video, Taliban members can be seen riding motorcycles while carrying weapons and barrels.
2022 Taliban Military Parade
Media outlets published the video clip in 2022. The footage shows fighters riding motorcycles and carrying explosives in yellow barrels, which the Taliban previously used in its operations, including against the United States.
The Recent Afghan-Iran Border Clashes
Recently, a violent clash erupted between Afghanistan's Taliban and Iranian guards along their shared border, causing concerns of a potential new conflict.
Both sides have accused each other of initiating the shooting, resulting in the deaths of at least two Iranian and one Afghani guard. Despite the accusations, both parties have released cautious statements to calm the tensions.
The tensions between Iran and Afghanistan were further exasperated by the exchange of gunfire across the border, primarily resulting from a disagreement over water resources. Recent Iranian allegations of Taliban's violation of a 1973 water-sharing treaty between Tehran and Kabul have contributed to the bilateral tensions. These allegations revolve around Taliban obstructing the flow of water from the Helmand River, which runs from Afghanistan to Iran's arid eastern border regions.
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