Malta Blast Falsely Shared as Operation Sheruwali in Jammu & Kashmir's Rajouri
The viral post also falsely claimed that 18 Indian soldiers have been killed during Operation Sheruwali in Rajouri.
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Two videos have been going viral on social media with the claim that 18 Indian Army soldiers have died over the last few days and 24 have sustained injuries amid a major operation being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri.
While one of the videos shows a massive explosion, the other displays visuals of a helicopter flying and smoke emanating from deep within a mountain.
What did the post say?: The post, uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) on 2 June by a user named 'ProudIndianNa' states, "Indian Army has been conducting an operation in Rajouri, #JammuKashmir, for the past 11 days. Our 18 Indian Army soldiers have lost their lives, while 24 have been injured. Rajouri has echoed with explosions and gunfire."
What are the facts?: The claim is false as the first video is unrelated to the operation being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and there is no evidence of Indian soldiers having lost their lives during the operation.
How did we find out the truth?: A reverse image search of the first video's keyframes via Google Lens led us to the same video uploaded on 1 June my multiple social media users, stating that the explosion actually took place in a factory in Malta.
"A powerful explosion followed by multiple secondary blasts ripped through the Ta’ Lourdes Fireworks Factory in the Salina-Magħtab area early Monday morning," stated the caption of the same video shared by X user 'Wolverineupdate' on 1 June.
A simple Google search with keywords such as 'Matla Ta Lourdes fireworks factory explosion' led us to multiple news reports carrying the same video.
"Explosion at Malta fireworks factory sends plumes of smoke into air," was the title of The Guardian's post on the Malta explosion uploaded on YouTube on 1 June.
Video Two
A reverse image search of the second video's keyframes via Google Lens led us to the same video uploaded by several news organisations stating that the visuals were indeed from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri, and were taken during Operation Sheruwali—which was launched by the Indian Army on 22 May to trace Pakistani terrorists believed to be taking shelter in the forest area of Rajouri.
"Rajouri, J&K: On the 11th day of operation, security forces have intensified the cordon and search operation to track down terrorists," stated this X post by news agency ANI on 2 June, carrying the same visuals as the viral video.
ANI's X post on Operation Sheruwali on 2 June.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Did soldiers lose their lives?: Regarding the claim that 18 Indian soldiers have been killed in the region over the last few days, we ran a simple Google search with keywords associated with Operation Sheruwali and did not find any credible news reports on the soldiers' deaths.
We also checked posts on X by the PRO & Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Jammu Region, but did not find any posts on Indian soldiers having been killed.
The Google search with keywords also led us to a fact-check published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), which categorically stated that the claim was false.
PIB's fact-check on X.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
WebQoof also reached out to the Public Relations Officer of the Indian Army's Rajouri unit but hasn't heard back. This article will be updated as and when we get a response.
Conclusion: The claim of 18 Indian soliders having lost their lives during Operation Sheruwali is false and the video of the explosion is not from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri.
(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 webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)