“Ultimate Insult”: Taliban Mocks Historic Iwo Jima Flag Raising Moment With Own Photo

The military newspaper Marine Corps Times has picked up on a disturbing image: “The Taliban’s media wing has wasted little time releasing droves of new propaganda in the wake of its ascension to power,” the official DoD publication writes.

“In one particular image released this week, members of the Taliban’s Badri 313 Battalion appear to mock Joe Rosenthal’s iconic 1945 image of the flag raising atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima,” the report describes.

Many American journalists and media pundits – especially US military veterans – are calling it the “ultimate insult” as well as “humiliating” – also while lamenting the utterly botched final days of the US presence in Afghanistan, given further the disastrous evacuation efforts of the past week.

Apparently featured in the manipulated 1945 Iwo Jima image are the newly established “Badri 313” commandos – a Taliban special forces unit. Of course, they are sporting special ops gear, including night vision goggles, which was ultimately paid for by US taxpayers.

The Marines in Iwo Jima fought to liberate innocent people from slavery and despotism. The Taliban flag-raisers fight to subject innocent people to slavery and despotism.

What a heartbreaking, infuriating, humiliating image.https://t.co/PBnjozx1Tc

— Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff_Jacoby) August 22, 2021

One Boston Globe writer had this to say: “The Marines in Iwo Jima fought to liberate innocent people from slavery and despotism. The Taliban flag-raisers fight to subject innocent people to slavery and despotism. What a heartbreaking, infuriating, humiliating image.“

And conservative TV show host Jesse Kelley quipped sarcastially, “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.”

Taliban-released propaganda promotion of its new special forces unit…

بدري ۳۱۳ قطعه
د ارګ او د کابل ښار د حساسو سیمو امنیت په غاړه لري pic.twitter.com/dSSgnuAUbM

— Qari Saeed Khosty (@SaeedKhosty) August 17, 2021

Days after the Taliban rapidly rolled into Kabul, with US-backed national army forces retreating just as fast, the Taliban’s official spokesman was given a Twitter account – he may even soon be “verified”. This as former President Trump remains banned for life, along with hundreds of conservative American pundits.