Does video show Taliban hanging a man from helicopter? Fact Check

A video is circulating social media claiming it shows the Taliban hanging a person from a rope tied to a helicopter. Many versions of this rumour claim that person was a journalist or an “American interpreter”.

FALSE

A short video appears to show someone dangling from a rope flown by a Blackhawk helicopter, and many have claimed that this shows some grotesque and very public execution. Some examples of these claims are below.

If this is what it looks like… the Taliban hanging somebody from an American Blackhawk… I could vomit. Joe Biden is responsible.

Taliban hanging someone from a helicopter in Kandahar

However, the video shows no such thing. While the video is genuine, the person dangling from the rope is not being executed.

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Firstly, an Afghan journalist, Bilal Sarwary, claimed to have personally known the pilot of the helicopter, and confirmed via Twitter that the man was being held by a harness, and was attempting – unsuccessfully – to install a Taliban flag upon some installation.

Afghan pilot flying this is someone I have known over the years. He was trained in the US and UAE, he confirmed to me that he flew the Blackhawk helicopter. Taliban fighter seen here was trying to install Taliban flag from air but it didn’t work in the end. https://t.co/wnF8ep1zEl

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 31, 2021

Afghan pilot flying this is someone I have known over the years. He was trained in the US and UAE, he confirmed to me that he flew the Blackhawk helicopter. Taliban fighter seen here was trying to install Taliban flag from air but it didn’t work in the end.

Secondly, a number of witnesses have claimed the man alive and well, and even waving at people on the ground. Further photos and videos clarify that this was the case, as per the image below.

As such, we rank the claim that this video shows the Tablian performing an execution as false.