Fact-Check: Viral message falsely accuses 'Islamic Afghans' of killing 229 Christian Missionaries
In a false claim that has garnered significant attention across social media platforms including WhatsApp, it is being alleged that the ‘Islamic Afghans’ have executed 229 Christian Missionaries and have taken over Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq.
The text claims that the incident occurred in Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq. However, a thorough fact-check conducted by Vartha Bharati has revealed that this claim is entirely false.
The identical text message, with varying numbers of missionaries, has been circulating online since 2009. Initially, the message suggested that the Islamic Afghans had sentenced 229 Christian missionaries to death, a claim that resurfaced multiple times over the years. After the recent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the same message gained traction once again, this time with a new twist - asserting that the 229 missionaries had already been executed.
Earlier, the message was being largely shared stating that the Islamic Afghans have sentenced 229 Christian Missionaries to death “tomorrow”. The message is doing rounds since 2009. The same message was once again widely shared after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
The message, urging urgent prayers for the alleged victims, also falsely stated that the information was confirmed through news sources. It further requested recipients to forward the message for wider prayer participation. The message mentions an individual named Judith Carmona, described as a Chihuahua missionary in Africa, as the source of this information.
The message calls for urgent prayers and states “Today, unfortunately, they have confirmed this terrible news at this time. You can confirm this in the news. How sad!! Please pray for the 229th Christian missionaries, who were executed yesterday afternoon by Islamic Afghans. Please spread this message as soon as possible so that as many people can pray. This message was sent by JUDITH CARMONA, a Chihuahua missionary in Africa. The whole earth was united in prayer. If you can forward it, please let us join in the urgent prayer, also because the radical Islamic group has taken over Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq. Where there are hundreds. Christian men, women and children being beheaded. Prayer cover is requested. Please take a minute and pray for them. Convey the message to whoever you can. They have taken Qaraghosh many times before. They have asked us to pray, please pass it on to others,” it adds.
Despite the emotional urgency of the message and the disturbing video accompanying it, our fact-check has conclusively proven that the claim is baseless. No official records or credible sources have verified any mass execution of missionaries by 'Islamic Afghans' or any other group. The origin of the video remains unclear, adding to the misinformation surrounding the incident.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
