New Delhi: The vandalisation of the tomb of legendary Afghan rebel commander Ahmad Shah Massoud earlier this week, on the 20th anniversary of his assassination, has sparked outrage among people in Afghanistan. Reports claim the Taliban are responsible for the incident.
Tajuden Soroush, Senior Correspondent at Iranian TV news channel Iran International, was one of the first to share pictures of the vandalised tomb Tuesday.
Taliban partially destroyed Ahmad Shah Massoud Afghanistan’s “National Hero” tomb in Panjshir. pic.twitter.com/tiZF55Qmeh
— Tajuden Soroush (@TajudenSoroush) September 7, 2021
Two days later, Afghanistan news website Aamaj News confirmed the incident, posting pictures of the desecrated tomb covered in shattered glass.
“The news has already provoked reactions, with some calling the Taliban an enemy of a nation’s values,” noted Aamaj News.
شکستن شیشه مقبره مسعود در پنجشیر واکنش برانگیز شد
تصاویر تازه‌ی که در اختیار آماج قرار گرفته، حکایت از شکستن شیشه و سنگ مقبره فرمانده احمد شاه مسعود دارد. پیش ازین نشر این خبر واکنش‌های را همراه شده و برخی‌ها این کار طالبان را دشمنی با ارزش‌های یک قوم تلقی کرده‌اند.#آماج_نیوز pic.twitter.com/BVjVPdkSSv
— Aamaj News (@AamajN) September 9, 2021
Several social media users said the act is going to “enrage a great many” and sow more seeds for deeper conflict.
They unsealed his tomb — all but guaranteeing that the resistance will endure… that act is going to enrage a great many.
— A.J.K. (@Klimek91) September 9, 2021
The Talibans ransacked Massoud's tomb.
Their first act was to break the verses of the Koran reproduced on his tomb. Is that what they learned in Koranic schools
What would the Grand Muftis, Imams, Ayatollahs and the authorities of Islam say about their actions?
Ask them pic.twitter.com/j1wEwgzPHd— REZA (@REZAphotography) September 9, 2021
Even if they dishonour your tomb, they can never erase you from the nation’s heart and soul. Commander Massoud’s legacy does not depend on one place or group. He resides with all those fighting for liberation, justice and democracy – his values are eternal. #NationalUprising pic.twitter.com/mZdtRPJohc
— Ahmad Wali Masoud (@awmasoud) September 9, 2021
The desecration of his tomb comes at a time when the north-eastern Afghan province of Panjshir Valley, the last resistance holdout in Afghanistan, has fallen to the Taliban.
Also read: Instead of Taliban talks, India must stand up for Afghan resistance despite Panjshir fall
Who was Ahmad Shah Massoud?
Born in 1953 in Bazarak, the provincial capital of Panjshir province, Ahmad Shah Massoud was a military strategist and commander who was referred to as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’ and ‘Afghan Napoleon‘. A former engineering student in Kabul, he helped unite the resistance in Panjshir Valley and fought off the Soviet occupation between 1979 and 1989.
When the Taliban took over and declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996, he and his resistance — the Northern Alliance — put up a valiant effort against it.
A report in The New York Times notes that by 1999, 85-90 per cent of Afghanistan was under the Taliban control but not Panjshir Valley. Massoud and his forces had retained several strongholds and put up strong defences in the region.
Two days before 9/11 attacks, Massoud was assassinated by an al Qaeda suicide squad posing as journalists. On the pretense of shooting a documentary, the terrorists met with Massoud. However, before he could answer a question, they detonated bombs which investigators later said had been disguised as camera equipment, notes a France 24 report.
Shah Massoud’s son, Ahmad Massoud, is now fighting the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley. He leads the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, which constitutes about 9,000-10,000 trained fighters.
Also read: World wanted a Berlin moment in Afghanistan. It got a Taliban flag over Panjshir instead