Fact-Check: Old Clip From India Viral as Afghan Forces Shot Down Pakistani Jets

The viral video shows a MiG-21 crash that killed two pilots in Barmer, Rajasthan in 2022

Fact-Check: We found no credible reports to confirm that the woman in the image belonged to Pakistan's army or died in combat.

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

Amid the recent border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a clip showing a massive fire in an open space has gone viral on social media.

• Those sharing claimed that the Taliban shot down Pakistan's jets on the Durand Line.

• Along with the video, some users also shared an image of a woman dressed in a military uniform and claimed that Pakistan lost a 'female three-star general,' in combat against Afghanistan.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot) 

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• The viral video dates back to 2022 and shows an Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet that crashed in a village, located in the Barmer, Rajasthan.

• Team WebQoof found no credible reports or visuals to prove that the woman in the viral image was a part of Pakistan's army or killed in the armed clashes.

What we found: We checked the two claims separately and found teh following.

Viral video: At first, we divided the clip into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• It led us to the same video uploaded by the Economic Times' YouTube channel on 28 July 2022.

• The video's title noted, "MiG-21 crash: Both pilots dead; IAF chief briefs Defence minister Rajnath about the incident" (sic.)

• Its description mentioned that the crash happened in near Barmer district in Rajasthan and both pilots lost their lives.

• The Indian Air Force's official X account also posted information about the MiG crash and the fatal injuries suffered by the pilots on 28 July 2022.

• As per an India Today report from 2022, Wing Commander Mohit Rana (39) and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal (26) lost their lives in the aircraft crash in Barmer.

• Clearly, the viral video is from India and not linked to the recent Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes.

Viral image: At first, we ran a Google and Yandex image search on the picture but did not find any credible results proving that the claim was true.

• We, then, looked up the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Pakistan's X page to look for information about the alleged death of the 'female three-star general.'

• The page had no information about the viral image.

• However, we found a post where it mentioned that eleven Pakistani soldiers died in combat against the Afghan forces between 7 and 8 October.

• Additionally, we compared the uniform of the woman in the viral image with the uniform adorned by a 'three-star general' in Pakistan and found some differences.

• We compared the viral image with Lieutenant General (or three-star general) Faiz Hameed's image.

• Team WebQoof looked at the viral image closely and found that important badges such as the three stars and the army tag were missing.

Here is a comparison between the two uniforms. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

While, we could not find the original source of the viral image, it is clear that it does not show a Pakistani general who died in the recent clashes with Afghanistan.

Conclusion: Both claims are false as the viral video dates back to 2022 and is from Rajasthan, India. Whereas, users have falsely shared the viral image to claim that it shows a female soldier who died in the clashes with Afghanistan.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)