Does the Kandahar Giant Really Exist?
There are rumors that U.S. Special Forces encountered a Kandahar Giant nearly 4 meters tall in Afghanistan in 2002. In August 2016, an American YouTuber posted a video interview with a weapons dealer named Mr. K. In the video, Mr. K recounted a special military operation he participated in back in 2002.
According to Mr. K, this operation was conducted with international coalition forces in Afghanistan and was called “Operation Enduring Freedom.” During this time, he witnessed the takedown of a Kandahar Giant by special forces in Afghanistan.
Mr. K described the Kandahar Giant as being nearly 4 meters tall, having bright red hair, and possessing six fingers. In a fierce battle with the special forces, the giant killed a member of the special forces with a spear before the remaining unit members took it down with 30 seconds of continuous fire.
The Bamiyan Valley, located in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, has long been adorned with stories and legends. One of the most famous tales is that of the Kandahar Giant, colossal beings believed to have once inhabited this region.
The Legend of the Kandahar Giant
In 2002, a group of soldiers lost contact with their base while patrolling the remote mountainous region of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, prompting the military to dispatch a special forces unit to investigate. At the mountain’s peak, the task force discovered a mysterious cave with military equipment scattered around, but no signs of the missing soldiers. It was at this moment that they reportedly encountered the Kandahar Giant.
Over time, the incident has been exaggerated, with some reports claiming the giant was 5 meters tall, had a bizarre appearance, wore soft-soled leather shoes, and emitted a “dead body” smell as it unexpectedly charged out of the cave and speared an American soldier named “Dan.” After 30 seconds of gunfire, the giant fell.
Another report indicated that team members were equipped with fully automatic M4 carbines, semi-automatic scout carbines, and M107 Barrett anti-material rifles loaded with “50 BMG” ammunition, which could eliminate any living creature in just one second. After the giant was killed, the special forces loaded its body onto a Chinook helicopter, and it was never seen again. Subsequently, this team of special forces was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, promising not to reveal any details; however, some soldiers eventually broke that silence.
The Government’s Denial Fuels More Conspiracy Theories
In August 2016, Snopes (a website dedicated to debunking internet rumors and verifying urban legends, established in 1994) contacted the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the “Kandahar Giant Incident.” However, the Department of Defense clearly stated to the agency that there was no documented information in the media about “special forces members being killed by the Kandahar Giant.”
This response seemingly led many media outlets to believe that the U.S. government was “attempting to conceal the truth from the public.”
At the same time that Snopes published its article questioning the incident, LA Marzulli, a self-proclaimed expert on the mysterious, told several media outlets that the U.S. government was covering up the incident for fear of impacting their interests and causing public panic. He added, “People have the right to know these things. If there are beings 4 or 5 meters tall roaming the Earth and our military has taken them down, we, as American citizens, have the right to know. It’s not a military secret, and this giant is connected to prophecies in the Bible.”
Legends of the Kandahar Giant appear in various cultures. (Illustrative image).
The Legend of the Origins of the Kandahar Giant
The legend of the Kandahar Giant appears in various cultures, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. Each culture has its own variations, but they generally share some core similarities.
According to legend, the Kandahar Giant is said to be a descendant of a god or a mythical creature. They are described as having extraordinary size and unparalleled strength.
The Kandahar Giants are believed to have once inhabited the mountainous region of Kandahar, Afghanistan. They are said to have built great structures, such as towers and massive walls. However, over time, the Kandahar Giants gradually vanished from the world. Various reasons have been proposed to explain their disappearance, including: Some legends state that the Kandahar Giants were wiped out in a war with other tribes; other legends suggest they were destroyed by a natural disaster, such as a flood or earthquake; while others claim they were cursed by a god or a sorcerer.
Over time, the Kandahar Giants gradually disappeared from the world. (Illustrative image)
Although the Kandahar Giants have vanished, they still leave many marks in culture and history. Many landmarks in Afghanistan are named after them, and stories about them continue to be passed down to this day.
In 2016, LA Marzulli linked this event to prophecies in the Bible. According to him, these beings are the Nephilim, a group mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Numbers in the Old Testament, believed to be “individuals of extraordinarily large size and strength” who could be found in the Middle East both before and after the Great Flood.
However, biblical scholars largely agree that the stories of the Nephilim are metaphorical rather than based on the reality of a 4 to 5 meter tall giant living in the desert.
