Posts by multiple Afghan and Indian accounts on social media platform However, the images do not show any evidence of Afghan missiles.
On Sunday, fierce border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the martyrdom of 23 soldiers and left more than 200 Taliban fighters dead, including several Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists. Both nations claimed to have destroyed border posts on the other side.
On Tuesday, clashes broke out again between neighbors in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The next day, the third major skirmish also took place: Pakistani security forces said an Afghan Taliban attack was repulsed in Spin Boldak, killing between 15 and 20 Taliban fighters.
Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a social media post that Afghan forces were “forced to retaliate” after attacks by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. Mujahid claimed that more than 12 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured in the attacks carried out by Pakistani forces using “light and heavy weapons.”
On October 16, a pro-Afghan account shared an X-shaped image of a missile launch. The title of the post, which garnered 83,000 views, read: “Breaking news: Afghanistan’s defense forces have successfully tested a missile capable of hitting a target at a distance of up to 400 kilometers. Our own missile… congratulations, from our hands to yours.”
The same image with a similar claim was shared by another Afghan user with the caption: “Reliable security sources say that Afghanistan’s defense forces have successfully tested a missile capable of attacking targets at a distance of 400 kilometers.” The publication obtained more than 93,000 views.
Other Afghan users on X also shared the video and state, as can be seen here, here, here and here; collectively garnering over 76,000 views.
The image with the same claim was also shared by the Afghan government’s Urdu account on X, but was later deleted.
Some Indian accounts also shared a video of the missile launch, garnering more than 11,000 views.
Meanwhile, some users, Afghan and Indian, shared a different, longer video with the same claim, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, garnering over 35,500 collective views.
russian news outlet RT International He also shared the video with a similar claim, but later deleted the post.
A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and high public interest in the matter.
A keyword search conducted to corroborate whether such missile tests were carried out in Afghanistan did not turn up news or video reports from any major and credible Afghan or international media outlets.
The search also did not turn up any news overall that the current Afghan regime has such missile capabilities.
A reverse search of the first image and video turned up a February 24, 2023 news report from a South Korean media outlet. YTN titled: ‘North Korea: Yesterday we launched four strategic cruise missiles into the East Sea… a show of preparation for nuclear war.’
Sharing the same images, YTN reported on North Korea’s launch of four Arrow-2 strategic cruise missiles into the East Sea on February 23 to test its readiness for nuclear war.
The missile test was also covered in a report by the international news agency Wire. Reuters on February 24, 2023, titled: ‘North Korea tests cruise missiles to demonstrate nuclear counterattack.’
Meanwhile, a reverse image search for the second and longest video turned up a May 10, 2025 YouTube video from a Pakistani financial news outlet. business recorder titled: “’Operation Bunyanum Marsoos’: Pakistan’s Fatah-1 missile fired at an Indian airbase.”
The video showed a missile launched by the Pakistan army at an Indian air base during fighting between the two countries in May 2025.
The claim that viral footage shows Afghanistan’s military conducting a missile test amid recent hostilities with Pakistan is FAKE. The videos are from older, unrelated events and there is no evidence that Afghanistan conducted any such tests.
