Claim: A video shared on social media shows people crying in the aftermath of an earthquake that struck Afghanistan in June 2022.
Fact: The video was shared by multiple media outlets in 2021 and shows the Taliban celebrating after the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan.
On 23 June 2022, a video was shared on Facebook with a caption that translated into English reads, “A shocking film from Afghanistan. The people of Paktika are all prostrating and crying because of the intensity of grief and the number of people killed. The death toll from the quake has risen to 1,500, but local officials estimate up to 3,000.”
The same video with a similar claim was shared here, here, here, and here on Facebook between 23 June and 6 July 2022.
The 45-second-long video clip features a group of men prostrating. According to the caption, it shows men crying over losing their loved ones.
On 21 June 2022, an earthquake hit the eastern province of Paktika, taking the lives of around 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 as reported by AFP.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate the authenticity of the video, Soch Fact Check took screenshots of the video’s keyframes and conducted a Reverse Image Search on Google. The results turned up a video published by Pakistani news outlet 24 News HD on 1 September 2021.
The video title reads, “Video Viral | Taliban Thanking God Almighty & Raising New Flag After Victory In Afghanistan.”
Scenes corresponding with those seen in the viral video appear at the 38-second mark of the 24 News HD video.
A keyword search for Taliban celebrations in the province also turned up similar videos posted on Twitter.
Conclusion: A video shared with the claim that it depicts men crying and prostrating after an earthquake in Afghanistan is actually from 2021 and shows the Taliban celebrating after the US withdrew its forces from the country. Claims linking the video to the earthquake are false.