Claim: A video shows a Pakistan Air Force helicopter shot down by the Afghan Taliban along the disputed Durand line.
Fact: The claim is false as the video is from September 2023 and shows a Pakistan Navy helicopter crashing due to a mechanical fault.
On 28 December 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video with the caption, “Pakistani Airforce helicopter shot down by the elite commandos of the Afghan Taliban along the disputed Durand line.”
The 17-second video shows a helicopter crashing in the mountains.
Pak-Afghan Border Tensions
Over the past few weeks, tensions have remained high at the Pakistan and Afghanistan border as Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan claiming to target Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in the neighbouring country. During these attacks, eight people were killed and 13 were injured, including civilians.
According to Voice of America, Pakistan’s armed forces said on 7 January that 19 militants and three soldiers were killed during the cross-border exchange. However, official claims about militant deaths could not be independently verified as no statements have been given by the TTP or the Afghan Taliban government, the report added.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate, Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse-image search on the video’s keyframes on Google Lens. The results led to an article published by Indian news outlet WION on 5 September 2023. The article headline reads, “Video: Pakistan Navy helicopter crash kills 3 crew members”. It featured a screengrab of the helicopter from the viral video and stated that the incident happened due to a mechanical fault during a training flight in Gwadar, Balochistan. According to AFP, three people died in the crash, including two officers and one enlisted man, the report added.
Hindustan Times also posted the video in question on their YouTube channel on 4 September 2023. The description of the video reads, “A Pakistan Navy helicopter crashed in the southwestern port city of Gwadar in Balochistan on Monday, killing three crew members. The Pakistan Navy said in a statement that ‘the helicopter crashed during the flight due to a possible technical fault. A video reportedly of the crash posted on social media showed the helicopter turning while apparently trying to regain control and then breaking apart and plunging to the ground. Watch this video to know more.”
Furthermore, we did a keyword search on Google and found news reports by The Express Tribune and Anadolu Agency, both of which quoted the same statements from the Pakistan Navy.
The Express Tribune also quoted the then president Dr Arif Alvi who had shared condolences and prayer for the departed souls in a post on X. It also quoted a preliminary report shared with AFP by a military source which claimed that the incident happened around 10:00 am on Monday 4 September 2023. The Sea King aircraft of the Pakistan Navy crashed during takeoff after suffering an engine fire and losing its rear tail, The Express Tribune’s article added.
Thus, Soch Fact Check confirms that the video is not from the recent clashes at the Pak-Afghan border. The video is from 2023 and shows a helicopter crash due to technical fault.
Virality
On X, the video received 692.6k views, 2,600 likes and 350 reposts. It was also shared here, here and here.
Conclusion: A video on X does not show a Pakistani Air Force helicopter shot down by the Afghan Taliban. The video is in fact from 2023 and shows a helicopter crashing due to a mechanical fault in Gwadar, Balochistan.
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Background image in cover photo: The NY Times
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