Fact Check: Indian Army retaliates against Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack? No, video is from 2020
A video of artillery shelling has been circulating on social media, claiming it shows retaliation by the Indian Army against Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows the Indian Armyās retaliation after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Fact:The claim is false. The video of artillery firing is from 2020 and is unrelated to the terror attack.
Hyderabad: At least 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen, were killed and several others injured in a deadly terror attack near the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22. Gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in what is described as the worst civilian attack in the region since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. The attack has triggered widespread condemnation and heightened security measures across the Valley.
In this context, a video showing artillery shelling has been circulating on social media, claiming that the Indian Army has retaliated against the terror attack in Pahalgam.
Sharing the video, an X user wrote, āAt least 12 Pakistani soldiers killed, 3 posts & 2 Artillery positions destroyed after the Indian Army retaliated against the ceasefire violation in Tattapani Sector. Heavy Artillery & Mortar shelling reported. (sic)ā (Archive)
Another X user shared the video and wrote, āHeavy shelling between India and Pakistan in the Tattapani sector along the Line of Control (LOC).ā (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video is from 2020.
A reverse image search of the keyframes of the video led us to it being posted by several Facebook users in 2020 (links here and here).
We also found the same visuals of artillery shelling in a video report published by Republic Bharat on June 14, 2020, stating the Indian Armyās strong response to ceasefire violations in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ceasefire violation in the Tattapani area of Poonch
According to a News18 report dated April 23, following the terror attack in Pahalgam, the Indian Army and other security forces have been given a free hand to carry out retaliatory operations. In a related development, the Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Tattapani area of Poonch, prompting a strong and effective response from the Indian Army.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the Indian Army reported that 2 to 3 terrorists attempted to infiltrate through the general area of Sarjeevan near Uri Nala in Baramulla district. The infiltration bid was foiled as troops intercepted the intruders, leading to a firefight and two terrorists were eliminated. However, we found no credible reports confirming that twelve Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliation for the ceasefire violation in the Tattapani area of Poonch.
Therefore, we conclude that the video does not show retaliation by the Indian Army following the terror attack in Phalagam. The claim is false.
