On August 6, 2021 this tweet went up the internet with claims that a Pakistani jet was allegedly struck by the ‘lion cubs’ in Panjshir province, Afghanistan. From these claims, a number of questions arise; who the ‘lion cubs’ are and whether these claims are entirely legitimate.
Background
‘Lion Cub’ is a name used to refer to Ahmad Mahsoud. Ahmad is an Afghanistan ex-minister and founder of the National Resistance Front. He is the son of Ahmad Shah Mahsoud, ‘the Lion of Panjshir.’
As the Taliban claim power over Panjshir province, the opposition insists that the resistance will continue. According to the BBC, the Taliban shared a video of their fighters raising their flag in Panjshir. However, Ahmad Mahsoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan blames the international community for legitimising the Taliban.
Verification
The account that shared the tweet contains Ahmad Massaoud’s name and face. It identifies as the official Twitter account of Ahmad Massoud, son of Massoud Ahmad Shah. However, at the time of this publication, this account had been deactivated.
Reverse image searches show images of this jet that appeared on the internet as early as April 24, 2018. According to military.com the F-16 Fighter Falcon crash-landed on a routine training on the Arizona-California border. It diverted and attempted to land at Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport.
Verdict
Claims that this Pakistani jet was struck down by the ‘Lion Cubs’ is FALSE.
This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
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