On March 20, 2023, a video spread on Twitter claiming to show the Russian war in Ukraine.
"Look at what Putin is doing to Ukraine!," Twitter account @checkmatestate posted. "Barbaric!" The account replied to posts about the tweet with a humorous tone, saying Russian assets had entered the chat when someone asked if the video actually showed Iraq.
Look at what Putin is doing to Ukraine! Barbaric!
pic.twitter.com/ZOP0qHa1rX— Curt (Libertarian) (@checkmatestate) March 20, 2023
The person who said the video showed Iraq was correct, though. The footage showed the U.S. bombing of Baghdad 20 years earlier when the country began to invade Iraq.
The source on the video said it was from Task & Purpose. When clicked, the post redirected to a tweet from the publication that said, "'Shock and awe' strikes on Iraq began 20 years ago today. Coalition forces would invade the next day."
"Shock and awe" strikes on Iraq began 20 years ago today.
Coalition forces would invade the next day. pic.twitter.com/pye50QpH0j
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) March 19, 2023
Footage from other publications also confirmed the video was from when the U.S. invaded Iraq. CNN, for instance, posted a YouTube video in 2016 that showed the U.S. bombing of Baghdad. It matched the location of the video on Twitter.
The video spread on the same day as the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. We've previously fact-checked claims about that war, including if former U.S. President Donald Trump was against the war "from the beginning."