FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Ashraf Ghani Fleeing Afghanistan?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook claims to show Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.

Verdict: False

The image shows Ghani visiting an Afghan military base in July.

Fact Check:

Ghani fled Afghanistan as the Taliban took over Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, according to CNN. He was later seen in the United Arab Emirates, the Associated Press reported. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Fleeing The Country?)

An Aug. 16 Facebook post includes a photo of Ghani on a plane, looking out the window. “This is the Afghan president fleeing his country,” text accompanying the image reads. “Do you notice that there are no multitude of Afghans in the plane with him? They’ve been left behind to face their fate.” The post further claims the U.S. did not evacuate any Afghans.

The photo does not, however, show Ghani fleeing the country. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the image posted by the official Facebook page of the Afghan president on July 9. The post includes several other photos and states it shows Ghani’s trip to Bagram Airfield.

“President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani visited different parts of Bagram Airfield, which has been transferred to Afghan security and defense forces after the exit of international forces,” reads part of the translated Facebook post.

The U.S. left Bagram Airfield in early July and did not tell the Afghani military commander, according to the Associated Press. The Taliban took control of the airfield after sweeping through Kabul in August, the outlet reported.

The Facebook post’s claim that the U.S. did not evacuate any Afghans is likewise false. The U.S. has reportedly evacuated over 70,000 people from Afghanistan, including American citizens and Afghans, according to The New York Times.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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