Video of Indian army chief acknowledging US intervention in Pakistan conflict is doctored
- Published on January 27, 2026 at 09:33
- 3 min read
- By Sachin BAGHEL, AFP India
After India's army chief said an operation launched against Pakistan in May 2025 is still ongoing, despite the nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing to a ceasefire, a manipulated video was shared in posts falsely claiming it showed him saying an intervention from US President Donald Trump "limited our ability to pursue further retaliation". The purported remarks contradict earlier statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that no world leader had pushed his country to stop fighting Pakistan. A review of the press briefing shows the video has been doctored to include the fabricated remarks, which appear to have been generated with the help of AI.
"Zee News journalist holds up the mirror on 'Operation Sindoor Continues' more media stunt than reality," reads part of the caption of a video shared on X on January 14, 2026. "COAS (Chief of Army Staff) can't ignore it he nods to Trump's intervention and Modi's silent surrender. Worth a watch."
The video appears to show Indian army chief General Upendra Dwivedi responding to a reporter's question about there being "no outcome" to "Operation Sindoor" -- the military campaign launched against Pakistan in May 2025 that lasted four days and left more than 70 people dead on both sides (archived link).
The conflict was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir weeks earlier that left 26 men dead, mostly Hindus. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied.
Dwivedi responds to the question by saying the operation is still underway because its objectives had not yet been achieved.
He says the situation changed when "President Trump intervened and de-escalated the conflict, which limited our ability to pursue further retaliation".
"If the situation had not been brought under control, it could have escalated even to the nuclear level," he adds.
The same clip appeared in similar Instagram and Facebook posts after the army chief held an annual press briefing on January 13, 2026 in which he hailed the planning and execution of "Operation Sindoor" (archived link).
"'Operation Sindoor' remains ongoing, and a future misadventure will be responded to," Dwivedi said.
The conflict between India and Pakistan was brought to a halt by a ceasefire announced on May 10, 2025 by US President Donald Trump.
While Islamabad said it would recommend Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize "in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership" during the conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said no world leader had pushed his country to stop fighting Pakistan (archived link).
There have been no official reports of Dwivedi contradicting the prime minister by acknowledging an intervention by Trump in the conflict.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to longer footage of the press conference published on India Today's official YouTube channel on January 13, 2026 (archived link).
The clip of the reporter asking a question used in the false video appears to have been lifted from the 1:06:36 mark of the India Today stream. The audio, however, does not match. The movement of the reporter's lips in the falsely shared video are also out of sync with what is being said.
The India Today video in fact shows Dwivedi was being asked, in Hindi, about investment in India's defence systems.
Dwivedi is asked a few more questions before responding to the Zee News question. In his reply, he makes no mention of "Operation Sindoor" or any US intervention.
The India Today stream does not contain the beginning or the end of the press conference, but a review of the full press briefing available on the Indian army's YouTube channel shows Dwivedi did not make the remarks attributed to him in the falsely shared video (archived link).
An analysis of the falsely shared video's audio using The Verification Plugin, also known as InVID-WeVerify, indicates a 93 percent likelihood that the audio was generated using AI.
AFP has previously debunked other false claims related to the India-Pakistan conflict.
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