Fact Check: Is Taliban acting deputy Prime Minister dead?
A screenshot of an alleged Al Jazeera report is viral on social media. The report claims that Taliban spokesman have confirmed the death of top leader and
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 Sep 2021 6:00 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A screenshot of an alleged Al Jazeera report is viral on social media. The report claims that Taliban spokesman have confirmed the death of top leader and acting deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul. The text reads, "Breaking: Taliban spokesman confirms Mullah Baradar killed in Kabul last night."
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter conducted a keyword search looking for reports on Baradar's death but found no reports either by Al Jazeera or any other news organizations.
The head of corporate communications for Al Jazeera, Mohamed Sidi Baba, told BOOM Live that the screenshot was "completely fabricated and it has no connection of any kind to Al Jazeera or its editorial".
In light of this news and several other unverified reports of Baradar's death, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen tweeted on 13 September saying that Baradar had sent an audio message confirming that he is alive and well.
Afghan news outlet TOLOnews also reported and quoted the Taliban spokesperson saying that Baradar, in an audio message, had confirmed he is alive.
Evidently, the claim is false. The screenshot of the Al Jazeera report claiming that Taliban deputy PM Mullah Baradar is dead has been fabricated.
