Taliban

Was a female Afghan pilot stoned to death in public? No, that's not true: The reports that claimed Afghanistan's second woman pilot, Safia Ferozi, was stoned to death by the Taliban came with a photograph of a different woman who was lynched by a mob in Afghanistan in 2015. Ferozi gave an interview to Stars and Stripes published on December…

Did Fox News publish a report stating "Rogue Special Operations Team Exits Afghanistan"? No, that's not true: The claim appeared on a counterfeit newsroom account using a fake name. A Fox News representative told Lead Stories, "FOX News did not make this claim." The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by a page calling itself foxnewsmiami.florida on…

Do President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden own 10% of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd (CATL), a leading lithium-ion battery development and manufacturing company based in China, a country with financial interests in Afghanistan lithium? No, that's not true: According to public financial documents, the elder Bidens are not financially linked to CATL. However, because of his equity…

Do these photos depict Christians who refused to deny their faith being suffocated in Afghanistan? No, that's not true: These are video stills taken at a protest performance 8,800 miles from Afghanistan in Medellín, Colombia, on May 26, 2021. The performance happened during the National Strike in Colombia and this performance was intended to be a symbolic tribute to people…

Does footage released after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan show the insurgents using anti-aircraft weaponry? No, that's not true: The footage is from the video game Arma 3. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by Military Videos on September 6, 2021. It opened: Anti-aircraft weapons and drones are also suspected to have fallen to the Afghan…

Did the Taliban survive from February 2020 through August 2021 with no vaccines, no masks or business shutdowns and capture Afghanistan with no mass deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: These claims were made without evidence, while independent reports by health experts and others actually working there show thousands died and that Afghanistan public officers fought the…

Did cameras shut off or go black during a President Joe Biden press conference when he was asked about a "hit list" of people in Afghanistan? No, that's not true: The cameras did not shut off during Biden's press conference. He was not asked if the suicide bombing in Afghanistan was a "predetermined attack" and if the U.S. gave the…

Does the state of Texas run an abortion "whistleblower" website that asks people to send anonymous tips about potential illegal abortions? No, that's not true: It's run by Texas Right to Life, a private anti-abortion organization. The claim was implied in an Instagram post (archived here) published on September 2, 2021. The post was a copy of a tweet by…

Did the U.S. leave $85 billion worth of weaponry and equipment in Afghanistan after U.S. forces left the country? No, that's not true: The figure more closely reflects the cost of total security funding -- ranging from training to counter-narcotics programs -- allocated to Afghanistan rather than the specific cost of weaponry and equipment, according to the Special Inspector General…

Did the Taliban use a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter to hang a person and then fly over the city of Kandahar with their body suspended by a rope? No, that's not true: This blurry footage shows a helicopter flying with a living person suspended below. The person is supported by a harness, not by a noose around their neck. Additional footage…