Fact Check: This little girl was not a victim of Taliban atrocities
A striking image of a little girl draped in colourful clothes and lying lifeless is also being shared with the claim that she was killed by the Taliban.
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India Today Fact Check
The image is of six-year-old Lubna who died due to snake bite in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in 2019. Her family had alleged medical negligence and said the local hospital could not even provide an anti-snake venom vial.
Numerous videos and images of Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan have been circulating on social media. A striking image of a little girl draped in colourful clothes and lying lifeless is also being shared with the claim that she was killed by the Taliban.
"My heart has broken into pieces what has this little angel done that she had to be sacrificed. Lanat to T*liban supporters and groups !!! #NoToTaliban," reads one such caption along with the photo.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the image is of six-year-old Lubna who died due to snake bite in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in 2019.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Story behind the picture
Using reverse image search, we found that the picture has been used several times over the past few months with different claims.
Digging further, we found that the picture was published by local news websites in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in 2019.
According to these websites, the little girl was Lubna from Yakkaghund tehsil of Mohmand tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Lubna was bitten by a snake after which she was shifted to the local Shabqadar hospital for treatment. But the anti-snake venom injection was not available there and the hospital staff asked the girl's family to take her to Peshawar. Lubna had died on the way to Peshawar.
The girl's father complained that lack of facilities in the hospital killed her. He had also alleged that they were given an ambulance without oxygen kit due to which the kid died on the way to Peshawar.
The tragic incident shook Pakistan and soon #JusticeForLubna started trending
in the country. As per news reports from Pakistan, the government sprang into action and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department suspended four doctors.
Though there have been reports of killings and torture by the Taliban, this particular image is not related to the ongoing developments in Afghanistan.
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