Fact Check: Is Abdul the head of Taliban? Memes erupt after Trump claims to have sent him a photo of his house during the debate

Former President Donald Trump made a bizarre claim that he had sent an image of his own house to a Taliban leader named "Abdul" during his time in office, leading to a frenzy of memes on social media.

Trump made this statement while discussing his deal with the Taliban ahead of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, during a presidential debate with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Harris criticized Trump's negotiations, calling them "one of the weakest deals" with the Taliban.

In response, Trump claimed to have spoken directly to the Taliban leader named Abdul, asking him to stop killing US soldiers. He said:

"I told Abdul don't do it anymore, you do it anymore you're going to have problems. And he said why do you send me a picture of my house? I said you're going to have to figure that out, Abdul. And for 18 months we had nobody killed."

While the Republican nominee did not clarify which leader he was referring to, many presumed he meant Taliban policy leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar.

It is important to note that Abdul Ghani Baradar is not the supreme leader of the Taliban. Baradar serves as the Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan and is a co-founding member of the Taliban. He assumed office as Deputy PM after the 2021 takeover of Afghanistan by the group.

Since 2016, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada has served as the supreme leader of the Taliban. When Trump supposedly negotiated with the militant group, Abdul Baradar acted as one of Akhundzada's deputies and a spokesperson in dealings with the US. However, he was never the supreme leader of the Taliban.

His claims led to a frenzy of memes on social media. Fans took to X to make fun of the Republican leader's statements. Here are some of the reactions:

"Can confirm his [Taliban leader's] name is not Abdul."

"I can’t believe he did a one act play in the middle of a debate "Don’t do it anymore, Abdul!"," another user wrote.

"my boy abdul from the taliban," a fan chimed in.

"Today I learned that the leader of the Taliban is a man named Abdul. But more importantly, I learned that no, it isn’t," another individual joked.

Some of the other reactions continued to poke fun at the former President's words, referring to how he enacted his supposed conversation with "Abdul" as a "skit."

"“Abdul: “why did you send me a picture of my house?” Trump: “you gotta figure that out yourself, Abdul” AY YOOOO 🤣😭," a fan quipped.

"“you’re gonna have to figure it out Abdul” this is an snl skit," a user opined.

"FWIW the leader of the Taliban is Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has been in charge since 2016. Not a guy named Abdul," a person added.

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Donald Trump claims US left military equipment worth $85 billion in Afghanistan

Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris faced off in their first debate on Tuesday, September 10, in Philadelphia. During the debate, Trump made multiple claims about the US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, during Biden's presidency.

The former President stated that the US left behind military equipment worth $85 billion in Afghanistan, which would not have happened if he were to be in power. He said:

“We wouldn’t have left $85 billion worth of brand-new, beautiful military equipment behind."

However, Donald Trump's claims were questionable. According to NBC News, while the Taliban did gain access to some US military equipment after the withdrawal, the actual figure is far lower. Al Jazeera confirmed the same.

According to a 2022 Defense Department report, military equipment worth around $7 billion remained in the hands of the Taliban after the US withdrawal of troops. The report told Congress (quoted via Al Jazeera):

“The US military removed or destroyed nearly all major equipment used by US troops in Afghanistan throughout the drawdown period in 2021.”

In addition to the Afghanistan withdrawal, Harris and Trump debated on multiple other issues, including illegal immigrants, the issue of abortion, tax issues, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Both candidates attacked each other and made multiple accusations against each other. While Trump claimed the 2022 US presidential elections were rigged, Harris attacked the former president by claiming he has "no plan." The Vice President said:

"Donald Trump has no plan for you, because he is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you. I will tell you, the one thing you will not hear him talk about is you. And I’ll tell you: I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first."

During the debate, the Republican leader questioned Harris's policy on immigration, claiming the Democrats are trying to get "illegal immigrants" to vote in the elections. Additionally, he reportedly made false claims about abortion policies, suggesting that some states in the US allow abortion after the birth of a baby.

However, as fact-checked by ABC News, no state in the United States allows abortion after birth. It is considered murder under US law.