AFP image misrepresented as photo of Kabul blast
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on August 26, 2021 at 18:52
- Updated on August 27, 2021 at 20:27
- 1 min read
- By AFP USA
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"BREAKING: EXPLOSION OUTSIDE KABUL AIRPORT," says an August 26 Facebook post that includes the image.
Posts misrepresenting the photo are part of a series of inaccurate claims about Afghanistan that have spread across the internet after Taliban insurgents seized control of the country earlier this month.
A suicide bomber targeted people gathered outside the airport, killing dozens of people. The photo circulating in the posts, however, shows a different scene.
AFP photographer Wakil Kohsar said the cloud of dust in the photo -- which shows American soldiers standing guard as Afghans wait at the airport on August 16 -- was stirred up by a US military helicopter.
The United States and other western countries are rushing to evacuate their citizens as well as Afghan allies ahead of an August 31 deadline. According to a US general, more than 110,000 people have been airlifted out of Afghanistan since August 14.
August 27, 2021 This article was updated to add new information from a US general.
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