The Afghans have a new folk hero. After his murdered father, Ahmad Massoud junior (32) leads the fight against the Taliban. More and more Afghans are joining the courageous man in the Taliban-free Pandjir Valley.
In the German media he now speaks about his mission and the future of his country. “There is no question that we will give up the fight. Our resistance in the Pandschir Valley has only just begun, ”he says in“ Stern ”.
The son of commandant Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953–2001), who defied the Taliban until he was assassinated by al Qaeda in 2001, says he would rather die than surrender. News of his imminent withdrawal are wrong: “I will never accept an imposed peace, the only advantage of which is that it brings stability to the country.”
Massoud says those willing to fight come to him from all over Afghanistan. He also has weapons. What he lacks is the ability to keep them operational.
Millions are on the way
In the ARD, he especially takes responsibility for countries like Germany. You should work with the Islamists who have come to power to find a solution that will enable a peaceful life in Afghanistan.
He predicts a great wave of refugees. “There are millions who will flee from Afghanistan across the national borders to Iran, Pakistan and other areas. And they are on their way to the West and Europe, ”explains Massoud.
Put pressure on the Taliban
In his view, it would be wiser for countries in the West to invest money in diplomatic efforts with the Taliban, otherwise the bill will end up being much more expensive.
“With a fraction of the funds they spend on the refugees in their country, with some political pressure and with the support of the resistance, they can actually achieve a lasting peace,” Massoud appealed in the TV magazine “Kontraste”.
In Massoud’s view, the West should put pressure on the Taliban to end the violence and accept a broad-based government. It is clear to him that the Taliban have not moderated and are still following their traditional roots today.
Father was murdered
In Afghanistan there are different tribes and ethnic groups that fight for influence and are sometimes enemies with one another. Massoud’s Tajiks have formed the “National Resistance Front”, while the majority of the Taliban belong to the Pashtuns.
Massoud’s father is revered as a war hero. Two suicide bombers who had posed as Belgian journalists detonated a bomb they had hidden in their video camera during an interview with Massoud in Tachar in 2001.
The home of the Tajiks is the Pandjir Valley, which the Taliban have been grappling with to this day. (gf)