Fact Check: Pakistan's fighter jet shot down by Afghanistan? No, the image is old
An image circulating on social media claims to show Pakistan's fighter jet shot down by Afghanistan on February 27.
By - K Sherly Sharon
Claim:The image shows Pakistan's fighter jet shot down by Afghanistan on February 27.
Fact:False. The image, along with a related video, has been circulating on social media since at least May 7, 2025.
Hyderabad: Following months of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, hostilities escalated in the last week of February, with Pakistani forces reportedly carrying out strikes in Kabul and the provinces of Kandahar and Paktika.
Amid this backdrop, an image is being widely shared on social media with claims that Afghanistan shot down a Pakistani fighter jet. Some posts further speculate that the aircraft could be an F-16.
The picture shows a crashed fighter jet engulfed in flames. A portion of the wreckage, appearing to be part of a wing, displays the Pakistan national flag.
Sharing the image on Facebook, a user wrote, “#Breaking Taliban shot down PAF jet (possibly F-16) was shot down during today's strikes, sharing this photo of burning wreckage with Pakistani markings. Pakistan's military denies any loss—all jets returned safely” (Archive)
This Facebook post was shared on February 27, implying that the aircraft was shot down the same day.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The image has been circulating online since at least April 15, 2025.
A reverse image search led us to a report published by PublicTV, which used the viral image as its cover photo. The report, published on May 9, 2025, was titled, “Over 50 Pakistani drones that attempted to attack Jammu were shot down.”
The article places the image in the context of Operation Sindoor. The operation was launched by India on May 7, 2025, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It followed the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians.
We also identified a 15-second video version of the same visual shared on Facebook on May 7, 2025, with the caption: “So far, two Pakistani fighter jets, a JF17 and an F16, have been destroyed. source - India TV.”
In the clip, the camera pans left, revealing a crowd gathered near the wreckage. This confirms that both the image and the related video were circulating on social media at least as early as May 7, 2025.
We were unable to independently verify the exact date and location of the footage.
However, it is clear that the viral image does not show Pakistan's fighter jet shot down by Afghanistan on February 27. Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the claim is false.
