Tweet claiming US Marine is working at 'the only McDonald's in Afghanistan' is fake

McDonald's did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

(Reuters) - Users on social media are sharing a fabricated tweet that claims “the only McDonald’s” in Afghanistan will remain open and operated by US Marines until all Americans leave the country.

The false content emerged after the Taliban seized Afghanistan s capital on Sunday, following a week of rapid territorial gains from retreating government forces battling to hold off the insergents.

The fabricated tweet reads: “Internal DOD documents that have been seen by ABC suggest that Kabul Mcdonalds (the only Mcdonalds in Afghanistan), mostly serving American diplomats at Kabul airport, is temporarily staffed by American marines and will remain open until the last American leaves. #Kabul #Afghanistan”

The content, made to appear as if it was tweeted by ABC News reporter Dylan Welch (@dylanwelch) has been replicated on Facebook and Instagram.

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Some users acknowledge the tweet and the report are not authentic, but others don’t. Some comments include: “This is by far the most American thing I have read today,” “The Real USA Embassy” and “Not sure whether to laugh or be saddened...”

On Aug 15, Welch confirmed on Twitter that he wrote no such thing. “Someone has created a fake tweet pretending it’s from me about US Marines and a restaurant in Kabul called McDonald’s. I didn’t write it,” he wrote, adding, “Please ignore it and focus instead on the plight of the millions of people in #Afghanistan abandoned by the int’l community.”

Someone has created a fake tweet pretending it’s from me about US Marines and a restaurant in Kabul called Mcdonald’s. I didn’t write it. Please ignore it and focus instead on the plight of the millions of people in #Afghanistan abandoned by the int’l community.

— Dylan Welch (@dylanwelch) August 16, 2021

Afghanistan is not among the countries in which McDonald’s operates, according to their website.

McDonald’s did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

While Reuters was unable to definitively identify the photo in the tweet, the same picture was featured in a 2013 report published by Spanish outlet ABC. According to the report (credited to Spanish news agency EFE), the restaurant in Kabul, owned by a local businessman, was not an official McDonald’s establishment but was made to look like one.

The fabricated content appears to have been originally posted on 4Chan, according to the earliest iterations Reuters could find. Some tweets feature a screengrab of the 4Chan forum.

The last US embassy in Afghanistan is the McDonalds at Kabul Airport. No, really. #Kabul #Afghanistan #Talibans pic.twitter.com/wo3CAz6DMd

— Al Ghafiki (@shalamaste2_1) August 16, 2021

Thousands of civilians desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the US military to suspend evacuations as the United States came under mounting criticism at home over its pullout.

Thus, the tweet claiming the US Marine is working at “the only McDonald’s in Afghanistan” is fabricated. McDonald’s does not operate in Afghanistan.