Fact Check: Liberation Front of Afghanistan vows to avenge Pahalgam attack? No, video is old

Hyderabad: A video showing four masked persons holding firearms while talking to the camera is going viral with the claim that it shows members of the Liberation Front of Afghanistan saying that ‘Pahalgam will be avenged.’

The claim is referencing the terror attack on April 22 in the Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, where at least 26 people were killed.

The text on the video says, “We are the Liberation Front of Afghanistan… Pahalgam bleeds in our memory. We remember the laughter of children silenced by foreign hands… This isn’t about Afghanistan or Kashmir anymore. This is about dismantling the ISI’s terror syndicate - cell by cell, soul by soul. From the caves of Waziristan to the alleys of Karachi - From proxy camps to safehouses in Lahore - Know this: We will strike.”

It further states, “Pahalgam will be avenged. Not with words. But with fire and silence.”

The same words can be heard in the audio. The audio is in English. However, it sounds distorted and heavily modulated.

Sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “The Liberation Front of Afghanistan warns: — ‘Pahalgam has not yet been AVENGED. Every ISI-backed resistance fighter in Pakistan or elsewhere will be HUNTED DOWN and ELIMINATED’. (sic)” (Archive)

Posts making similar claims can be found here, here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2, Archive 3)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral video is an anti-Taliban video that has been circulating online since at least 2022.

Using reverse image search, we found that the viral video was shared on X on February 4, 2022. The caption reads, “Panjshir News. The Afghan Freedom Front announced its existence by releasing a video.” (Translated from Persian) (Archive)

The video was shared on the same day by another X user with the caption written in Dari, a variety of Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, “A new group called the Afghanistan Freedom Front has begun operating in northern Afghanistan and has declared its existence.” (Archive)

Sharing the viral video on Facebook on February 6, 2022, a user wrote in Dari, “The Afghanistan Freedom Front has declared its existence in honour of the beautiful flag”. (Archive)

The audio in all three posts from 2022 is different from the video, attributing it to the Pahalgam attack. We have also observed that there is no text on these videos.

Using reverse image search of the logo at the end of the video, we found a Facebook account called ‘Liberation Front AFG جبههٔ آزادی افغانستان’. The account also shared the viral video on February 4, 2022. (Archive 1) (Archive 2)

On February 7, 2022, an image was shared on their account which stated the identity, objective and the reasons for armed resistance of the Liberation Front of Afghanistan.

On April 1, 2022, the account shared the manifesto of the Liberation Front of Afghanistan. This is the last post made on the account.

There is no mention of anti-ISI or anti-Pakistan sentiment in the manifesto. The manifesto also states that the group opposes conflicts with neighbouring and regional countries.

The website link is mentioned in the Facebook account information. However, currently the website is not functional. We found an archived version of this website from February 8, 2022. However, the website was still under construction.

Links to social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X are mentioned here. The Facebook link leads back to the ‘Liberation Front AFG جبههٔ آزادی افغانستان’ account. The Instagram and X accounts are linked here and here. (Archive 1 and Archive 2)

Both Instagram and X accounts shared the same content as the Facebook account, including the viral video and the manifesto. The final posts shared on these accounts are also the manifestos of the group posted on April 1, 2022. We did not find any anti-Pakistan posts on these social media accounts.

We did not find any posts or videos condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack or stating that the group will fight against ISI-backed resistance fighters. Using keyword searches, we did not find any news reports or social media posts stating that the Liberation Front of Afghanistan has commented on the Pahalgam attack.

As the original audio is in Persian, we were unable to independently verify the contents of what is being said. However, it seems that the video uploaded by the Liberation Front of Afghanistan has been edited with an audio track in English addressing the Pahalgam terror attack.

The viral video has been circulating online since at least February 4, 2022. The Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22. The viral video does not show the Liberation Front of Afghanistan addressing the Pahalgam terror attack.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false.