Viral image of child victim in Sept 2025 Tirah valley incident

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 find the original source.

Posts from multiple users and PTI supporters on social media platform X on September 22, 2025, shared an image, claiming it showed a child killed in the Tirah valley incident. However, the image is old and has been shared as far back as May 6, 2025.

The deaths of around two dozen people in the restive Tirah valley ignited a public outcry, with locals and lawmakers demanding justice over the killings of innocent people. It was not clear what caused the explosions that led to the casualties, as witnesses and law enforcement officials offered differing accounts.

Around two dozen people, including women and children, were reported killed in a series of blasts in and around a cluster of houses in the Akkakhel area, in the early hours of Sept 22. Police officials in the region said that around a dozen militants were also among the dead.

HOW IT STARTED

On Sept 22, an Indian propaganda account shared an image on X of a child lying on a bed.

The post was captioned: “Pakistan Air Force has killed innocent civilians in KP. More than 20 civilians have been killed. A silent Genocide by Pakistan continues.”

The post gained over 199,000 views and was reshared 2,900 times with 8,900 likes.

The same image with a similar claim was also shared by different Indian accounts on X, as can be seen here, here and here, gaining over a combined 190,000 views.

The same image was also shared by Chaudhry Mudassar Raza Machiana, former coordinator to PTI founder Imran Khan when he was the prime minister, with the following caption: “This child was also martyred by the state after being labelled a terrorist.”

The post gained over 74,000 views, 3,600 reposts and 7,400 likes.

It was also shared by different pro-PTI accounts, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively gaining over 149,000 views.

The same image was also widely shared alongside other images of the incident’s victims with the same claim by other users, including PTI MNA Naseem Ali Shah and Senator Mashal Yousufzai, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively gaining over 27,000 views.

A video version of the same image was also shared on X by a PTI supporter and former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri, gaining over 108,000 combined 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 Tirah valley incident.

A reverse image search showed that the picture was shared as far back as at least May 6, 2025, by a local Pasto digital news platform on Facebook.

The caption of the post said: “This child has been left at a migrant camp on the Torkham highway. If anyone recognises him, please inform the Torkham hospital or authorities. Share this photo widely with the intention of doing good, so his family can be found.”

The same image, accompanied by similar claims, was also posted by different users on Facebook on May 6-7, as can be seen here, here, here and here.

Meanwhile, the video of the child was tested on AI forensic tool Attestiv, showing that the clip was “very suspicious” with a technical suspicion rating of 99 per cent.

A user had also replied to Suri’s with a different AI-generated video of the child cursing the former deputy speaker.

The video was not found prior to the Tirah valley incident, while the image was not found in any post before May 6.

The source of the image could not be conclusively determined, but it is clear that it is not of a child victim in the Tirah casualties.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral image shows a child victim of the recent Tirah valley incident is false.

The image is at least as old as May 6, 2025, and unconnected to the deaths in the Tirah valley.

Evidence and References

May 6, 2025, local Pashto digital news platform Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=515117175012721&set=pb.100095433288833.-2207520000&type=3

May 7, 2025, Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=667528702703920&set=a.132906662832796

May 7, 2025, Facebook post:
https://archive.md/C1Sbp

May 7, 2025, Facebook post:
https://archive.md/SOg9r