Fact-check: Viral photo of blood-stained milk bottle falsely linked to Kurram violence
While November 21 attack in Kurram did claim 42 lives, including women and children, the image being shared is not from Pakistan
Updated Tuesday Nov 26 2024
A photo circulating on Pakistani social media shows a baby’s milk bottle stained with blood. Online users claim it shows the violence inflicted on children in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Over the past week, sectarian violence in Kurram, a region bordering Afghanistan, has escalated, leaving 88 people dead.
However, the image in question is not from Kurram.
Claim
A YouTube channel shared a photo of a blood-stained milk bottle, alleging it was taken on November 21, during an attack in Kurram where gunmen opened fire on two convoys.
“Terrorists in Parachinar killed 103 Shia Muslims, including 10 children,” read the video caption.
Similar claims were shared on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook as well.
Fact
While the November 21 attack in Kurram did claim 42 lives, including women and children, the image being shared is not from Pakistan. It likely originates from Gaza.
A reverse image search revealed that the photo was first posted online on May 30 by an Instagram user as part of a montage titled “A lost childhood, among rubble and blood.”
The montage included other pictures such as that of children’s pushcarts, shoes, and milk bottles, all blood-stained. The user also tagged the images with the hashtag #Palestine.
The original montage can be viewed here.
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