Claim: A video shows the National Resistance Front (NRF) attacking the Taliban in the Afghan province of Panjshir in December 2025.
Fact: The video is old and was published by news organisations as early as September 2021.
On 10 December, an X user posted a video (archive) that apparently showed National Resistance Forces of Afghanistan attacking the Taliban. The description of the post begins with the following claim: “AFGHANISTAN: NRF Launches Coordinated Attack on Taliban (IAG) Battalion Headquarters in Panjshir – 12 Taliban (IAG Personnel) Killed”. The complete caption of the post is shown in the image below:
Screenshot of the post sharing the video.
The claim circulated after National Resistance Front (NRF) claimed on X that it targeted a Taliban base in Panjshir, killing 17 members of the group on 7 December.
NRF is an anti-Taliban group, led by Ahmad Massoud. He is the son of Ahmed Shah Massoud, an Afghan commander known for his strong leadership and resistance against the Taliban in northern Afghanistan’s Panjshir valley before he was killed in a suicide bombing in 2001.
The article only fact-checks the video in the claim.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the video and found that it appeared at least four years ago.
The Telegraph posted a video, titled “Armed fighters battle the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Panjshir valley”, on YouTube on 3 September 2021. The scenes from this match the video being fact-checked.
The description further states: “Fighting between the Taliban and an outfit of armed fighters allied against them continued in the village of Gulbahar in the Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan on Friday – the frontline between the two groups.
The Panjshir Valley is the last region not under Taliban control, following the group’s blitz across Afghanistan.”
Left: Video being shared on X in December 2025. Right: Footage uploaded on YouTube in September 2021 by The Telegraph.
Al Jazeera published a video report, titled “How will the Taliban handle its dispute with Tajikistan?” on 2 October 2021. Scenes here, too, for instance, at timestamp 1:15, match the clip from the claim, confirming that it appeared at least four years ago.
France 24 also shared a video report in September 2021 that carried the same visuals, and was titled [translated from Spanish via Google Translate]: “This Friday the Taliban reportedly took Panjshir, the last opposition stronghold”.
Soch Fact Check therefore confirms that the footage is old.
Virality
The video was shared on X here, here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was posted here.
Conclusion: The video does not show the National Resistance Front (NRF) attacking the Taliban in Panjshir in December 2025. The clip appeared as early as September 2021 and was shared by various reputable news publications.
Background image in cover photo: Fox News
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