Claim: A video shows the Balochistan Liberation Army’s attack on Frontier Corps (FC) in Mach, Balochistan.
Fact: The video is unrelated to the attack in Mach.
Mach attack
On 29 January, Balochistan’s Interim Information Minister Jan Achakzai reported that security forces thwarted three coordinated terror attacks in the Mach area of Balochistan, killing seven militants. Achakzai, attributed the attack to terrorists linked with the Aslam Acho group, adding that no installations were damaged, and there were no casualties amongst security forces.
The Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), later claimed responsibility for the attacks, confirming that four members of its squad were killed.
Fact or Fiction?
On 30 January 2024, X (formerly X) user Sadia Khalid (@Sadiasofficial) posted a video claiming that it shows an attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Frontier Corps (FC) in the Mach area of Balochistan.
In the same tweet, the user also questioned the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s leader, Dr Mahrang Baloch, about how her “innocent people” obtained advanced weapons to confront the state?
The tweet reads,
محترمہ @MahrangBaloch_ کی معصوم #BLA کا #Balochistan میں #FC پر شدید حملہ۔ #Mach بلوچستان میں #BLA کے دہشت گردوں نے فرنٹیئر کور کی ایک تنصیب پر حملہ کیا ہے۔ جوابی کاروائی جاری ہے۔
محترمہ ماہ رنگ سے سوال یہ ہے کہ آپکے ان معصوم ترین لوگوں کے پاس اتنا زیادہ اور جدید اسلحہ کیسے آیا کہ وہ ریاست کا بھی مقابلہ کر سکتے ہیں۔ #BLA کا جو حملہ ابھی ہو رہا ہے اسکی لمحہ بہ لمحہ خبریں انڈیا کو کیسے ہیں اور آخر #Mach اور #Balochistan آج انڈیا میں ٹرینڈنگ پر کیوں ہے اور انڈین #RAW ایجنٹ @RealBababanaras کیوں #FC جوانوں کی شہادتوں کی جھوٹی خبریں دے رہا ہے؟
Ms @MahrangBaloch_
Innocent #BLA’s fierce attack on #FC in #Balochistan. A Frontier Corps installation has been attacked by #BLA terrorists in #Mach Balochistan. Response is ongoing.
The question to Ms. Mahrang is how did these most innocent people of yours get so many and such advanced weapons that they can even fight the state. How is the breaking news of the #BLA attack faring in India now and why is #Mach and #Balochistan trending in India today and why Indian #RAW agents
@RealBababanaras is giving false news about #FC martyrs?
#ISPR #Bolan #CipherCase
#February8_public_referendum]
The footage, captured at night, depicts a rapid exchange of rockets being fired from opposing sides.
Soch Fact Check found the claim to be false. A reverse-image search of key frames of the video led us to an old video on Facebook from 3 February 2021.
While investigating the claim further, we also found an article carrying the same footage as the tweet in question, published in August 2023 by RT Arabic, a Russian state-owned television news channel broadcasting in Arabic. The article debunks a claim where the same video was linked to the Ain al-Hilweh camp clashes in Lebanon. RT Arabic’s search led them to a longer version of the video available on YouTube from 2020, and the outlet also ascertained that the background commentary in the video suggests that it shows clashes between two groups in Iraq.
Although Soch Fact Check could not ascertain if the video is actually from Iraq, we can conclude that it is not linked to the recent attacks in Mach given that older versions of the viral video were shared on social media much before 30 January 2024.
Virality:
The tweet by @Sadiasofficial gained significant traction with 26,800 views, 171 likes and 114 reposts.
The claim was also shared here on YouTube.
Conclusion: A video claiming to show the recent attacks in Mach is actually old. The video was shared on social media platforms in the past and it precedes the date of the recent attack in Balochistan.
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