Year-old video of explosion aftermath in Karachi misrepresented as Taliban ambush

Published on December 8, 2025 at 05:41
2 min read
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain heightened after weeks of escalating border clashes despite an October truce, but a video of vehicles engulfed in flames circulating on social media does not show a military convoy ambushed by the Taliban near the frontier as claimed. The video previously circulated in news reports from October 2024 about an explosion near the Karachi airport that killed two Chinese nationals.

"Severe damage to the Pakistani military from a Taliban ambush at the Ghulam Khan border between Pakistan and Afghanistan," reads the Thai-language caption of an X video shared on December 1, 2025.

It shows several vehicles on a road on fire, as what appears to be security personnel walking around the debris.

Screenshot of the false X post captured on December 2, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The same video, albeit mirrored, was also shared in multiple languages in similar Facebook, Instagram and X posts.

The footage circulated as relations between Islamabad and Kabul -- which have been fraught since the Taliban swept back to power in 2021 -- worsened after border clashes in October killed around 70 people on both sides (archived link).

Despite an October truce brokered by Qatar and Turkey, there have been deadly clashes at the tense border region.

Security issues are at the heart of the controversy, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harbouring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) -- a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, though they share ideological roots -- that launch attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban government denies these allegations.

The circulating video, however, was filmed in October 2024 and not at the countries' border.

Karachi blast

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a longer version posted on Instagram by Pakistani news outlet Dawn on October 7, 2024 (archived link).

"An explosion was reported near Karachi airport on Sunday night, with sounds heard by people in different areas," reads part of its caption.

The falsely shared video also appears to have been flipped horizontally.

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left)and Dawn's Instagram post from October 7, 2024 (right)

The post was also embedded in Dawn's report about the explosion (archived link).

AFP reported that the massive blast killed two Chinese nationals and wounded several Pakistani citizens (archived link).

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group advocating for the autonomy of Pakistan's Balochistan province, claimed responsibility saying it had targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers and investors.

The group has regularly targeted Chinese nationals, claiming ethnic Baloch locals are not receiving their fair share of wealth extracted by foreign investors.

China’s embassy in Islamabad confirmed the deaths and urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects.

One of the burning vehicles seen in the falsely shared video can also be seen in AFP photos of the aftermath of the explosion.

A news cameraman shoots a burning car at the site of an explosion which occurred near Karachi airport in Karachi, on late October 6, 2024. (AFP / Asif HASSAN)

AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict.

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