People Think The Taliban’s Ice Cream Picture Is A Secret Message To Joe Biden
Don't let their photo fool you.
Twitter / S. Pech / Shutterstock.com Amid chaotic scenes of people trying to flee Afghanistan in fear of their safety, social media was shocked to see a photo of alleged Taliban soldiers eating ice cream.
The images were reportedly taken at an amusement park in Kabul where the soldiers were patrolling.
Juxtaposed with images of thousands of Afghan people desperately seeking refuge, the photos are chilling and hide the reality of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Is the picture of the Taliban eating ice-cream a message to Biden?
Some have speculated that the image is part of a propaganda plot to promote a new, less threatening version of the Taliban.
Others think it’s a demonstration of the organisation’s sheer disregard for the fear they instil.
But for some, the photo of the Taliban is a clear message to one person — Joe Biden.
Why some claim the Taliban are sending a message to Biden.
One conservative news site claimed, seemingly without evidence, that the Taliban are sending a clear message to President Biden with their selfie.
“The Taliban sent Joe Biden a message Tuesday by posing for a photograph, which later ended up on Twitter, showing fighters holding ice cream cones.”
“The message is clear. They know Biden is a weak, mentally disabled joke of a man, and they have zero fear of America under his leadership.”
It seems unlikely that the message is all that “clear” given that the Taliban weren’t the ones who posted the image and presumably didn’t know it would be shared.
But alas, the theory was echoed by some members of the far-right on Twitter.
The image has been compared to photos of Biden consuming ice cream while being questioned by reporters.
Some claimed the Taliban were “trolling” the President though it’s unclear if memes of Biden eating ice cream that have been widely shared in the US have made their way to Afghanistan.
The trolling effort also lacks the “clear message” some have claimed it contains — what on Earth would the Taliban be trying to communicate by posing with ice creams?
The image of Taliban soldiers distracts from the crisis in Afghanistan.
In any case, attempting to decipher what — if anything — the Taliban are trying to say with this seemingly irrelevant photo distracts from the true crisis at play here.
The military organisation already appears to be sending mixed messages about their plans after taking power in Afghanistan.
After initially claiming they would be protecting women’s rights, witnesses have reported seeing women be tortured, abducted and even executed for attempting to flee.
Regardless of what the Taliban is claiming to do or what messages they’re trying to send, Afghan people are in need of refuge as at least 30,000 people flee each week.
What we should be focused on, instead, is spreading information on how to support Afghan people.
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.