Afghanistan commemorated 14th death anniversary of Ahmad Shah Masoud

Afghan high-ranking officials commemorated the 14th death anniversary of Ahmad Shah Masoud on Wednesday in Kabul.

By laying flowers on resistance minaret, the 14th death anniversary of Afghanistan national hero was held in Loya- Jirga hall.

Known as the Afghanistan “National Hero” Masoud fiercely fought Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the ’80s.

The Chief of Executive Officer is said to consider Ahamd Shah Masoud, the Champion of battle grounds against the Soviets and the Taliban.

CEO, Abdullah Abdullah has recalled the performances of late Masoud and his Mujahideen or holy warriors at the ceremony.

“He was committed to serve Afghanistan,” said Massoud’s brother Ahmad Zia Masoud. “He grew up in this country. He was always at the service of his people and understood the pain of his countrymen. That is why he is still in the hearts of every Afghan.”

Ahmad Shah Massoud was an important figure in the ’90s Afghan civil war. He led the resistance against the Taliban until his assassination.

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in his message described the late Masoud as a great freedom fighter and national hero of the country, besides lauding his resistance against foreign invasions.

The former resistance leader Ahmad Shah who had played vital role in defeating the former Soviet Union and blocking Taliban onslaught to capture Afghanistan was killed in a suicide attack conducted by three Arabs who disguised themselves as journalists during an interview in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province on Sept. 9, 2001.

Masoud is no less a hero in Afghanistan. Massoud’s image can be found plastered on shop windows and car windshields, as much a symbol of pride in Afghanistan’s mujahidin past as an allegiance to his anti-Taliban bent.
One of Kabul’s biggest intersections is named after him, and September 9, the anniversary of his death, is a national holiday.
Massoud’s supporters, many of them hailing from his anti-Taliban United Islamic Front, which has now been reconstituted in Western parlance as the Northern Alliance, hold that had he not been killed, Afghanistan would have been in far better shape.