Yanny or Laurel tweet linking Taliban to meme forces US Air Force apology

Yanny or Laurel... or 'Brrrt'?

The US Air Force has apologised after making a joke linking the popular Yanny or Laurel meme with the death of Taliban militants.

The tweet sought to link the war in Afghanistan to the viral Internet debate over whether an audio file circulating online sounds like the words “Laurel” or “Yanny.”

The tweet from the US Air Force’s main Twitter account @usairforce came after days of fighting in the Afghan city of Farah, during which 300 Taliban soldiers were killed, according to Al-Jazeera.

“As the Ministry of Defense has already stated, the Afghan security forces are bringing their full capabilities, consisting of Army, Police, Commandos and Air Force, to bear on the situation,” U.S. officials said in a statement on Tuesday.

“As we have seen over the last couple of days, the Taliban are unable to hold terrain during such isolated attacks, and their unsuccessful raid attempts on district centers in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Faryab and Zabul.”

The US Air Force said A-10 Warthogs bombed Taliban militants in Afghanistan on Tuesday, 15 May (Reuters)

The tweet from the US Air Force on Thursday stated: “The Taliban forces in Farah city #Afghanistan would much rather have heard #Yanny or #Laurel than the deafening #BRRRT they got courtesy of our #A10."

The #BRRRT was meant to suggest the sound of Gatling gun fire.

After questions at a Pentagon briefing about whether the tweet was appropriate, the Air Force deleted it and expressed regrets for the questionable attempt at humour.

“We apologize for the earlier tweet regarding the A-10. It was made in poor taste and we are addressing it internally. It has since been removed,” it said.