Fact Check: 2013 Philippines photo claiming military evacuation from Kabul

Team Udayavani, Aug 18, 2021, 2:24 PM IST

Social media users have been sharing a 2013 photo of a military evacuation out of the Philippines like they have been recently taken out of Kabul. The images being shared were originally taken from an evacuation by the U.S. Airforce days after a devastating typhoon hit the city of Tacloban in the Philippines.

The posts shared on social media have been mislabeled and claim the image shows an operation by the Indian Airforce (IAF), carrying refugees out of Kabul airport.

IAF C 17 with 800 people airlifted….a record. That’s a train load almost. The previous highest was 670. This is from Kabul Airport today. Long Live India ???? pic.twitter.com/kOmUOHnpPh

— durgeshtripathi (@durgesh_101) August 16, 2021

The original image dates back to 2013, showing “more than 670 Tacloban residents” on board a military plane, C-17 Globemaster III, on Nov. 17, 2013, following Super Typhoon Haiyan.

A photo obtained by outlet Defense One portrays a similar scene of a USAF operation to evacuate people from Afghanistan.

It was reported that on August 16, 640 Afghan civilians were evacuated onboard a C-17.

JUST IN: “The Crew made the decision to go” — Inside RCH 871, which saved 640 from the Taliban … from @TaraCopp and me https://t.co/r4YvGqJZ4b pic.twitter.com/CI1mAmqjHT

— Marcus Weisgerber (@MarcusReports) August 16, 2021