Taliban mocked the iconic World War II photo, Raising the U.S. Flag on Iwo Jima, by recreating a similar scenario with the help of armed fighters from its Badri 313 Battalion, dubbed as Taliban's elite commando unit. The fighters were seen wearing complete tactical gear in the picture that has gone viral on social media.
Ever since taking over Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from its soil, Taliban have been releasing a series of propaganda visuals to show its rise to the power in the country.
Why Was Battle of Iwo Jima Important For U.S.?
Over 6,500 U.S. servicemen lost their lives during the World War II battle fought at Iwo Jima, a tiny island located 660 miles south of Tokyo.
The island was of importance during the war as Japanese fighter planes based there were intercepting American bomber planes. The invasion which started on February 19, 1945, including 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers. It lasted for 36 days at the end of which U.S. claimed the island.
Reportedly, the Islamist group has seized assault rifles, armored vehicles, aircraft, tanks, artillery, sniper rifles, night-vision goggles and much more either left behind U.S. forces or given to the Afghan forces between 2002-2017.
Mocking the U.S. military, Taliban fighters recreated the iconic image from the WW II. In the original image six U.S. Marines are seen raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
In its version, a group of four Taliban soldiers are seen hoisting the Taliban flag in the same manner. The fighters are seen wearing U.S. weapons and gear, which is believed to be stolen from allied militaries during patrols of Kabul.
Social Media Express Displeasure
Soon after the images surfaced on social media, it went viral drawing scathing comments from the users.
"Taliban soldiers wearing all U.S. supplied equipment MOCK iconic World War II image of American Marines raising flag on Iwo Jima as soldiers don US military gear in propaganda footage. It is straight up NUKE time. #neonow," wrote a user.
"Ultimate insult - An elite unit of Taliban fighters, wearing US-made tactical gear mock iconic Iwo Jima flag raising photo. This is Bad, Very Bad," read another tweet.
Many also blamed U.S. President Joe Biden for letting Taliban mock the country and its troops. "Taliban can murder as many people as they want. But if they keep trolling Biden like this they're gonna get kicked off of social media," wrote a user.
