A video showing a plane being shot down is viral on several news channels. Paired with headlines of Pak Airforce attacking in Panjshir, the last Afghan bastion. Read to know the full story.
Pak Airforce did not attack in Panjshir: Video game footage aired unchecked
While new channels spread the news like wildfire, the reality is far from it. The viral video revealed to be from ‘ARMA-3’ a video game. The internet shared it as a conflicted report began emerging about the Taliban capturing Panjshir valley. The Taliban claim to have obtained control and maintain that their forces are “present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.”
Using a clip from ARMA-3, the Indian news channel, Republic TV, claimed that the video confirms Pakistan’s role in the Panjshir fight. Moreover, they attributed the video to Hasti TV. The video on Hasti TV‘s Facebook page is since retracted. However, the news bit says the video shows the Pak Airforce flying over Panjshir. Additionally, the video also aired on Times Now Navbharat making the same claim.
Here’s the fact check
Extracting the viral keyframes from the viral video by The Quint revealed several key details. Twitter user Natsecjeff, known as Faran Jeffrey posted the video. According to his bio, he is the deputy director of the Islamic Theology of Cunter Terrorism (ITCT) based in the UK. Under the viral video, he commented that the clip was from a video game. Additionally, several Twitter users pointed out that it is from ARMA 3, a video game. The video is a youtube video posted on January 25, 2021.
Additionally, a quick comparison reveals the news video to be a zoomed-in version of the original video from YouTube. However, this is not the first time video game footages were used out of context and for false news. In 2020, a video game clip made claims that Armenia shot down Azerbaijan’s MiG-25 in the Nagorno-Karabakh area. Additionally, Israel’s Defense System video claims were later fact-checked by Reuters.