 September
9 marks the one year anniversary of the assasination of Commander Ahmed
Shah Massoud, "the great Massoud," as he is now referred to by
most Afghans.
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- In an assasination many people, including myself, link
to the 911 attack on America, Al Qaeda and Taliban considered Massoud their
chief opponent and the one leader whom America could rely on and work with
in Afghanistan in retaliation to their planned terrorist attacks.
- Massoud's assasination was immediately followed by a
major Taliban assault designed to eliminate the Northern Alliance, an attack
that was fortunately thwarted.
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- Massoud fought for more than 20 years against the Soviets,
against fundamentalist Afghans including Gulbaddin Hekmatyar who is back
in Afghanistan declaring a jihad on America, and against the Taliban and
Al Qaeda.
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- A genuine leader, Massoud advocated for a united Afghanistan,
valued the role of women in society, respected the role of tribal elders
as part of the country's political system and provided for humanitarian
and educational needs of his people.
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- The U.S. left Afghanistan shortly after the Soviets withdrew
in 1988.
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- Most of the "civilized world" ignored Massoud's
continued pleas for help to overthrow Al Qaeda.
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- The Clinton Administration, through proxies, attempted
to work with the Taliban.
-
- The attack on the Americas, awakened us, and forced the
US to take a closer look at Afghanistan. Ultimately, and after much wrangling,
the US government and military put its support behind the Northern Alliance.
- The Taliban positions fell easily.
- Kabul was liberated in mid-November and the people celebrated.
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- Massoud's death marked the beginning of the end of the
Taliban and Al Qaeda and the awakening of America to terrorism.
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- In honoring this time in our nation's history, let's
not forget the Afghans, who fought against the Soviet Union and their imperialism,
and who fought for freedom. Despite the hardships and travail in rebuilding
Afghanistan, we should not abandon the Afgahns again.
-
- --Henry Kriegel
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- Afghans Mark Anniversary of Rebel Leader's Assassination
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- 9-9-2
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- KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The night before he died,
the legendary Afghan commander Ahmed Shah Massood stayed up until 4 a.m.
talking politics and poetry -- and of how he planned to outwit an impending
Taliban offensive.
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- Eight hours later, Massood was dead, fatally injured
by suicide bombers believed sent by Usama bin Laden. Three months later,
his troops were masters of the land -- thanks to the United States.
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- On Monday, an Afghanistan controlled by Massood's lieutenants
commemorated the anniversary of his assassination on Sept. 9, 2001 -- just
two days before the devastating attacks that brought America into the Afghan
war.
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- Amid heavy security, several thousand people gathered
at a mosque in northern Afghanistan's biggest city to mark the anniversary.
Admirers in Mazar-e-Sharif carried portraits of the bearded fighter and
wore T-shirts bearing his image. They praised him for fighting both the
Soviet Red Army and the Taliban.
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- "We'll never forget the black day that he died.
It's written in the history of Afghanistan," said Zaher Wahdat, an
ethnic Hazara leader.
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- Only a few people were with Massood when two Arabs in
casual Western clothes prepared to interview him at his headquarters in
the northern town of Khodja Bahauddin that day.
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- One of those trusted aides was Massood Khalili, a close
friend who served as a political adviser for two decades. Khalili, interviewed
by The Associated Press on Sunday, said Massood had agreed to be interviewed
by the Arabs -- both of North African origin and traveling with false Belgian
passports.
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- Massood apologized for delaying them for several days,
Khalili recalled. The northern alliance commander had been preoccupied
with pondering how to block an expected attack by the Taliban and their
Al Qaeda allies.
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- "The whole night we were up talking until four o'clock,"
Khalili said of Massood's last night. "First about military things
-- he was talking about the offensive. He was showing me on a map how they
wanted to encircle us. Then we talked about political things, then we talked
poetry."
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- As the Arabs were preparing for the interview, Massood
asked them about life in the 90 percent of the country under Taliban control.
They told him that Afghans in Taliban areas "think you're not a good
Muslim, that you are helped by infidels," Khalili recalled.
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- Taken aback, Khalili asked the pair whom they worked
for.
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- One of them responded: "We are not journalists.
We belong to Islamic centers based in Paris and London, Islamic centers
all over the world."' Khalili said. Khalili leaned over and whispered
into Massood's ear.
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- "I told the commander very slowly and softly, 'They
belong to the other side.' I thought they were very close to the Taliban.
They were against us. But the commander said, 'Let them ask their questions.
Maybe they want to know more about Afghanistan."'
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- The Arab cameraman was eager to begin and started to
ready his camera. But Massood stopped him, asking what questions they planned
to ask. Khalili translated 15 questions -- half concerned bin Laden.
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- Massood seemed annoyed but said nothing, simply lowering
his chin toward his chest as he always did when something was bothering
him, Khalili said. Massood then signaled for the interview to begin.
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- The curly haired cameraman immediately moved a coffee
table out of the way to move his tripod closer. Khalili joked that the
Arab seemed more like a wrestler than a cameraman. The camera was black
and large, with an oversized lens.
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- "He put the camera down on the tripod, then took
a few steps back," Khalili recalled. "I will always remember
when I looked at him and said, 'Ready?' ... He had this really nasty smile."
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- The interviewer, sitting just inches from Massood, asked
his first question: "What is the situation in Afghanistan?"
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- Khalili leaned toward Massood to translate. He had uttered
only one word when the bomb -- possibly hidden inside the camera -- exploded.
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- "I saw this thick blue fire rushing toward us. I
thought maybe a rocket had been fired from outside. And then I realized.
I pinpointed this man, that man. It clicked. And I felt the commander's
very weak hand on my chest."
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- Khalili saw body parts all over the room. The interviewer
himself was blown in two. The cameraman survived the blast but was shot
to death by Massood's bodyguards. Khalili said.
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- Massood died 10 to 15 minutes after the attack, Khalili
said. However, the northern alliance, fearing that Massood's death would
spell the end of their resistance, claimed he was alive until a successor,
current Defense Minister Mohammed Fahim, could be chosen. The alliance
announced Massood died late on the morning of Sept. 15.
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- "I remember my last glance (at Massood)," said
Khalili, who was blinded in one eye and is still recovering from his painful
injuries. "His hair was different. There was blood I think. His eyes
were closed."
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- As word of the bombing spread, Khalili said 10,000 to
15,000 Taliban fighters backed by Pakistani and Arab volunteers, launched
the attack that Massood had expected.
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- "It would have been difficult to resist for very
long without Commander Massood," he said. "Maybe we would have
lasted a month or two."
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- In less than a month, however, American warplanes were
flying over Afghanistan, pulverizing Taliban and Al Qaeda positions. U.S.
and allied ground forces entered the country in pursuit of bin Laden and
his followers.
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- Massood's enemies crumbled, and the northern alliance
rolled into Kabul and other cities.
- ___
-
- Henry Kriegel
- President
- Kriegel Marketing Group, LLC
- 313 West Mendenhall St., Suite A
- Bozeman, MT 59715
- 406.585.8085
- 406.581.8306 cell
- 208.977.3401 eFax
- henry@kriegelgroup.com
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