These images do not show recent attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul

Viral images are old, not recent

A set of two images showing a building engulfed in flames and severely damaged is being circulated with the claim that the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, was recently attacked.

Let’s check the facts.

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Fact Check- 

The Indian embassy and consulates in Afghanistan were closed in August 2021 as a result of several repeated militant attacks. In 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan by deploying a ‘Technical Team’ to provide humanitarian assistance at its embassy.

And we could not find any reliable reports regarding any recent assault on the Indian embassy in Afghanistan.

The reverse image search with the first image led us to report by NDTV, published on 23 May, 2014 with a headline ‘Indian Consulate Attacked in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai Calls Narendra Modi.’ The report featured the same image with the caption, “Afghan security forces watch a house burn at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces at the Indian Consulate in Herat in Afghanistan on May 23, 2014.” The report further adds, “The Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Herat was attacked by four gunmen who tried to enter the complex and later fired from neighbouring buildings. All four were killed in an operation”. This confirms that more than a decade old image has been shared as recent.

Upon further search, we came across multiple reports stating that the second image is from a 2017 truck bombing that struck Kabul’s diplomatic quarter. 

We also found a Reuters report from 1 June 2017 regarding this incident. It states that Afghan officials inspected outside the German embassy after a blast in Kabul. In this incident, at least 80 people were injured due to a bomb hidden inside a truck.

These evidences indicates that both the viral images are old. Old images have been shared as Indian embassy in Kabul was attacked recently.

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral images to be Misleading. These images do not show recent attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul, viral images are old, not recent.