Claim: A video shows Pakistan Army soldiers captured by Afghanistan during the recent escalations between the two countries in October 2025.
Fact: The video was posted online a day before the start of the conflict between the two countries and likely shows a training of the Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan.
On 12 October 2025, an account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video with the caption, “Mard-e-Mujaahids of Pakistan Army in Afghan Captivity.”
The video allegedly shows Pakistan’s military personnel with their faces covered and their hands tied behind their back, held hostage in one room, while a man in a red uniform walks among them.
Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan on 12 October, Reuters quoted both sides as saying and termed it “the most serious fighting between the neighbouring countries since the Taliban came to power in Kabul”.
According to officials, Afghan troops opened fire on Pakistani army posts along the Nnorth -western border on Saturday, 11 October, and seized several of the posts, The Guardian reported. The attacks came after the Taliban regime in Afghanistan accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on the country’s sovereign territory, particularly in the capital of Kabul, earlier that week. On 12 October, Pakistan responded with retaliatory airstrikes, gunfire, and ground raids targeting Afghan Taliban posts along the border.
In a statement, the media wing of the Pakistan military reported that 23 soldiers were killed and 29 others wounded in the attacks, The Guardian’s report added. The statement further claimed that 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” were killed in the retaliatory strikes and that several terrorist training camps had been dismantled.
Ceasefire between Pakistan, Afghanistan
On 15 October, the state-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) reported that “Afghanistan was seeking a ceasefire on the border near the village of Chaman where the fighting was concentrated”, according to The Washington Post (archive).
Since 10 October, “at least 18 people have been killed and more than 360 wounded” on the Afghanistan side, Arab News reported, quoting a statement issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The two countries agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire effective as of 6 pm on 15 October, according to a media report. On 19 October, both countries signed a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, followed by three days of peace talks in Istanbul. However, as per the latest reports, the peace talks ended on 28 October without any resolution.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate, Soch Fact Check started looking at the current news articles and did a keyword search on Google with “Pakistan army captured by Afghanistan,” but couldn’t find any authentic news source. There has been no mention in the news media of hostages taken by either of the countries during the escalation from 11 – 15 October.
We then conducted a reverse-image search of the keyframes of the video, and the results led to a YouTube reel posted on 10 October 2025. The video has an in-text caption “Soc Commando”, and the description of the video reads, “FC Balochistan 68 bag [batch] soc commando training”. The video matches the one shared in the viral claim.
Furthermore, we took a closer look at the YouTube account, which has posted different videos of the Frontier Corps (FC) training in Balochistan. The YouTube channel description shows that the creator is Mr. Ihtiram Khan from Swabi who is allegedly working in FC Balochistan. The account has shared another video of a man wearing the FC uniform with the same name tag.
We also observed comments on the video suggesting that it shows the uniform of FC Balochistan and the maroon track suits worn by people who belong to the Special Services Group (SSG).
To further verify, Soch Fact Check also contacted a source within the Pakistan military, who confirmed on the condition of anonymity that the video depicts a training session of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan. The individual in the maroon tracksuit is reportedly a training officer from the Special Services Group (SSG). He also confirmed that such training sessions are recorded and shared among the military-based WhatsApp channels.
While Soch Fact Check could not independently verify the origin of the video and when exactly it was first shared on social media, we can confirm that it was posted before the escalations started between Pakistan and Afghanistan on 11 October 2025, making it clear that it has nothing to do with the recent clashes between the two countries.
Virality
On X, the post garnered 210k views, 3,200 likes and 600 reposts from 12 – 29 October. It was also shared here, here, here, and here.
The viral post can also be seen here and here on Facebook and here on Instagram.
Conclusion: Posts claiming that a video shows Pakistan Army soldiers being captured by Afghanistan are false. The video was shared online before the start of the conflict and is likely from a training of FC Balochistan.
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