Saturday, March 15, 2025
ENGLISH

Fact Check

Video Of Crowds At An American Football Game Shared As That Of Scenes Of Afghans Fleeing From The Taliban At Kabul Airport

Written By Preeksha Malhotra
Aug 25, 2021
banner_image

Afghans have been rushing to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in desperate attempts to flee the Taliban since it captured control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021. Al Jazeera estimated that around 28,000 people have since been evacuated from the country. The evacuations are expected to continue till August 31 – the deadline for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.

Social media users worldwide shared heart-wrenching videos of Afghan citizens trying to flee the country to save themselves from dire consequences.

One video posted on Twitter claimed to show a huge crowd allegedly rushing inside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport – the only way out of the country.  

The ten-second video clip received over 3,400 views on a Twitter profile named ‘OccuWorld’ and over one lakh views on Twitter user @Uajalsingh’s post. 

Hamid Karzai International Airport

Fact Check/Verification

A reverse image search of the keyframes led us to a video dating back to January 2019.  First posted on Twitter by Jon Machota, a Dallas based sports journalist, on January 6, 2019, it shows a sea of people rushing inside the AT & T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Machota, who covers the Dallas Cowboys for The Athletic, described the video as showing the door opening scene at the stadium before a big football match. 

This video widely circulated at the time, and an image from the same video featured in an article on United States National Football League playoffs by Sports Illustrated Media Group’s website The Spun

Further, a closer look at the video reveals sports merchandise along with billing counters on the left side of the video, this is a clear indication that the video is not from Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

Screenshot from the video marked to reveal sports merchandise and billing desks

Twitter itself has taken note of this video being misrepresented and has flagged it saying it is “placed out of context” in the same post.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the video in question was taken out of context and is misplaced. 

Result: Misplaced Context

Our Sources

Jon Machota’s tweet of original video: https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1081687003677233154

Sports Publication The Spun’s article: https://thespun.com/nfl/nfc-east/dallas-cowboys/cowboys-fans-sprint-seats-att-stadium-playoffs-seahawks


If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill the form.

image
If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint WhatsApp us at +91-9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in​. You can also visit the Contact Us​ page and fill the form.
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
About Us

Newchecker.in is an independent fact-checking initiative of NC Media Networks Pvt. Ltd. We welcome our readers to send us claims to fact check. If you believe a story or statement deserves a fact check, or an error has been made with a published fact check

Contact Us: checkthis@newschecker.in

17,450

Fact checks done

FOLLOW US
imageimageimageimageimageimageimage
Copyright © 2022 NC Media Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
cookie

Our website uses Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to help personalise content,tailor and measure ads, and provide a better experience. By clicking OK or turning an option on in Cookie Preferences, you agree to this, as outlined in our Cookie Policy.