Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Sunday, Aug 24, 2025

Child soldiers are OK if they’re anti-Taliban? AFP takes flak over photos of ‘armed’ Afghan kids waving flag of local resistance

Child soldiers are OK if they’re anti-Taliban? AFP takes flak over photos of ‘armed’ Afghan kids waving flag of local resistance

Paris-based news agency AFP has been accused of romanticizing child soldiers after photographing an Afghan children’s ‘militia’ in Panjshir province, where locals have taken up arms against the Taliban.

The outlet, known for its photojournalism, apparently took an interest in a group of kids who wanted to show their martial spirit amid a tense standoff with the Taliban.

“Afghan children carry rifles and a Panjshir National Resistance Front flag along a road in the Dara district of Panjshir province,” AFP tweeted on Monday, adding that “thousands of people” have come to the province to “find safety” and join the resistance against the Taliban.

The photographs show around 10 children marching down the road and standing guard at a bridge as they waved the green, white and black flag of the National Resistance Front (NRF). Two of the youngsters were armed with “rifles.”

The photos coincide with an uptick in western media reports detailing how Panjshir has become a rallying point for Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban resistance.

But if the photos were intended to elicit sympathy for NRF’s cause, it appears AFP’s plan backfired.

Numerous Twitter users alleged that the outlet was promoting the use of child soldiers, which is typically at least frowned-upon.



 

Others accused AFP of staging the questionable photographs.


There were even questions about the “rifles” being used by the pre-teen militia, with social media users expressing a high degree of certainty that the weapons were old air guns.

Lying some 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Kabul, the Panjshir Valley is currently under the control of warlord Ahmad Massoud, whose NRF is a re-branding of the National United Front (Northern Alliance) led by his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud. Ousted vice president Amrullah Saleh and former defense minister Bismillah Mohammadi have taken refuge in the valley, along with soldiers of the Afghan National Army.

The Taliban has demanded NRF’s immediate surrender, but Massoud is reportedly unwilling to capitulate and instead seeks to negotiate a “comprehensive government” for Afghanistan in which the Taliban shares power.

Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
Well someone has to fight as the adult males are all hanging out at the airport looking to get out of there and go to some non Muslim country where they can hate the non Muslims. Their own country is a 7th century shit hole and they want to turns yours into the same. Maybe someday your wife can look like Casper the ghost in a full body sheet when she leaves the house

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
×