Circulation:
Accounts on social media circulated a video showing the Al-Qaeda flag and its elements in Mukalla, claiming that it is recent and occurred after the liberation of Hadramout from Transitional Council militants. What is the truth of the circulated video?
Spread:
The video was circulated by a number of Yemeni accounts on social media.
Sources of the Claim
Context of publication:
The video was published days after Yemeni government forces took control of Hadramout, expelled Transitional Council militants, and deployed government forces that worked to restore security and the return of normal life in Hadramout.
Verification summary:
The video is old (misleading).
Verification:
The Musnad platform team verified the circulated video using reverse image search tools and found that the video was previously published on the local Belqees channel on July 25, 2015. The report covered Al-Qaeda’s control of areas in Mukalla at that time, before government forces expelled it from the city and pursued its elements over the past ten years through U.S. airstrikes, which harmed its ability to return or reorganize.
