Viral video does not show TTP attack on Pakistani soldiers in KP’s Bannu; it’s from 2024 Karachi airport blast

Multiple Indian accounts on social media platform X circulated a video since November 30, 2025, with claims that at least nine Pakistani soldiers were killed after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ambushed an army convoy near the Ghulam Khan border area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district. However, the footage is old and actually shows a 2024 explosion near Karachi airport.

Claim

Viral video of Pakistani soldiers being ambushed, killed by TTP in Bannu

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to verify the original source.

Multiple Indian accounts on social media platform X circulated a video since November 30, 2025, with claims that at least nine Pakistani soldiers were killed after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ambushed an army convoy near the Ghulam Khan border area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district. However, the footage is old and actually shows a 2024 explosion near Karachi airport.

Pakistan has reported a surge in violence this year, with the first three quarters of 2025 witnessing nearly as much violence as seen in all of 2024 — a trend, which, if it continues, can make this year one of the deadliest in decades.

HOW IT STARTED

On Nov 30, an Indian propaganda account on X posted a video claiming to show TTP militants ambushing and killing Pakistan Army soldiers in Bannu.

The caption read: “Breaking: At least nine Pakistani soldiers killed after TTP rebels ambushed a Pakistan Army convoy heading towards Ghulam Khan border area along Pak-Afghan border near Azad Mandi bazar, Momand Khel, Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many others are injured.”

The post gained 99,200 views.

Another Indian account on X also shared the same video with a similar caption, gaining over 73,000 views.

Subsequently, the clip and the claim were widely shared by Indian and Afghan accounts on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively gaining over 160,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the matter.

A keyword search yielded no results from national or international credible media outlets, or any statement or press release from the military or government, regarding any such attack on soldiers by the TTP in Bannu.

A reverse image search yielded a video posted by Dawn on its Instagram page on October 6, 2024, describing the clip as showing a blast near the Karachi airport.

The caption of the post read: “An explosion was reported near Karachi airport on Sunday night, with sounds heard by people in different areas, according to media reports. Television footage showed smoke rising from the area near the airport, with a blazing fire visible on the road.”

View this post on Instagram

It also quoted correspondent Imran Hafeez as saying that the sound of the explosion was heard in different areas of the city, as far as North Nazimabad, II Chundrigar Road, and Karimabad, among other areas.

A subsequent keyword search yielded multiple news reports by both local and international news outlets such as Dawn, Geo News, BBC, Guardian, and Al-Jazeera, all confirming that the viral video showed the 2024 Karachi blast.

They reported that at least two Chinese nationals were killed while several others were wounded in the explosion, which targeted a Chinese convoy.