Thousands Gather for Massood Funeral - Northern Alliance ready to support America

Associated Press | September 16, 2001

[HAL9000]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Thousands of people gathered Sunday in a small village in Afghanistan's mighty Hindu Kush mountain range to bury opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massood, who died from wounds in a suicide attack against him.

Supporters of Massood shouted slogans against the ruling Taliban militia and also condemned Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, which U.S. officials blame on Osama bin Laden, the fugitive terrorist who has been given sanctuary in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

The opposition is ready to support American actions against the Taliban, said opposition spokesman Dr. Abdullah - who uses only one name - in an interview broadcast on Russia's state RTR television Sunday.

"Definitely, we expect a reaction" to the American attacks - "a military reaction," Abdullah said. "I think the aim - the sole purpose of that military reaction - should be destruction of the terrorists' camps," he added. "The whole people here are against the Taliban."

Massood was buried in his home village of Basarak in the Panjshir Valley, north of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

The opposition said Massood had died Saturday from wounds suffered in a Sept. 9 suicide bombing that they say was ordered by the Taliban and bin Laden; other reports said he had died earlier in the week. He was 48.

A veteran guerrilla commander, the dashing Massood was dubbed the "Lion of Panjshir" for his military prowess defending the Panjshir Valley against the former Soviet Union during its decade-long war in Afghanistan. He later held the valley against the Taliban.

Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, and Massood rode triumphantly into Kabul on a tank in 1992, the year the pro-Moscow government fell.

Massood was defense minister in the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, who attended Sunday's funeral and condemned the terrorist attacks in the United States, opposition spokesman Wasuddin Salik said in a telephone interview from Panjshir.

Rabbani, whose government ruled Afghanistan from 1992 until it was ousted by the Taliban in 1996, also spoke of the need to eradicate terrorist-training camps in the country.

"The Taliban tried to scare us and break us, cruelly killing our military leader, but they didn't succeed," Rabbani was quoted as saying by the Russian ITAR-Tass news agency.

"It is impossible to replace Massood, but the Afghan people will unite and win," he was quoted as saying. He accused bin Laden of involvement in Massood's death.

Massood's death was a shattering blow to the anti-Taliban front. He had moved quickly to rally warring factions against the Taliban, forming a northern alliance that has fought to prevent the Taliban from gaining full control of Afghanistan. The Taliban currently control about 95 percent of the country.

The opposition comprises small groups mostly representing ethnic and religious minorities. When it ruled Afghanistan, fighting sparked by internal feuds destroyed vast neighborhoods of Kabul and killed 50,000 people, mostly civilians.

In the attack on Massood, two men posing as journalists detonated a bomb that may have been hidden in a television camera while they interviewed him in northern Afghanistan. The blast also killed both bombers and a Massood spokesman. One bomber was from Morocco and the other from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, Massood's men said.

Copyright 2001 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[Pearls Before Swine]

The Northern Alliance seems like a good ally.

On another note, what does radical feminism have to say about radical Islam? Isn't it funny that many of the complaining groups we have in the US would suffer much more under fundamentalism?

[TheGoodDoc]

The freedom fighters of Afganistan have been fighting the brutal Taleban and Osama bin Ladin for years with no support from anyone on earth. What people simply do not understand is that the US and its NATO allies (Britain?) can land its Airborne Divisions safely in the freedom fighter held Panjshir Valley. There are protected airstrips to bring in whatever the US wants.

The US forces will be hailed as heros by the long suffering anti-Taleban forces.

From there a military drive south to Kabul, the pitiful capital of that tortured nation. The people of Kabul will be ecstatic at its liberation. You cannot imagine what the Taleban has been doing in the way of brutal repression.

Then on to the South, where bin Ladin himself has his bases. Some (but not all) of the fanatics will put up a fierce fight before joining Allah.

But the war will not end in Afganistan.

There are probably hundreds of moles in the US who are waiting for the opportunity to commit mass murder, and obviously becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The war will end where it began, in the US, when we as a nation decide to protect our borders and systematically root out the bloodthirsty sleeper fanatics.

[alithia]

I've never heard a feminist group support the Tahliban.That's just a stupid thing to say.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I've never heard a feminist group support the Tahliban.That's just a stupid thing to say.

Maybe it is. My point is, many of these "needs" that have been so recently in the spotlight in the US ought to evaporate in the face of an obviously greater threat.

[F-117A]

Thank you Massood!

Hopefully, help is on the way.

[ikanakattara]

You asked about radical feminism and Islam. A LONG time ago (1980) I read an article in MS. Magazine slamming the Afghani mujahedeen, and supporting the Soviets in the Afghani conflict. Yes, I know some of it was knee-jerk feminist support for a Communist regime, but in retrospect it doesn't sound so stupid. The article pointed out that the Afghani "freedom fighters" were mad at the Soviets for, among other things, insisting that women have equal social rights with men, have freedoms, be able to vote, get on governing committees, etc. The Soviets put pro-Soviet Afghan women in positions of leadership in villages, for instance, but the fanatical Islamic men hated that. I never thought I'd waste any sympathy on the Soviets, but you know, *the Soviets were right* in that regard, at least.

Russia as a culture was severely degraded under Communism, and never has had a truly Western concept of freedom, but they were at the pinnacle of civilization compared to the mujahadeen, who wanted to lock women up in some version of the Stone Age. This is why, while I like the idea of our helping the local anti-Taliban forces, we're NOT solving anything in the long run if we don't *reconstruct* their society. My view is NO help, NO aid unless they set up a constitutional democracy with basic human rights for everyone. As far as the feminists of today go, who cares what they think. They just became highly irrelevant.

[ikanakattara]

You asked about radical feminism and Islam. A LONG time ago (1980) I read an article in MS. Magazine slamming the Afghani mujahedeen, and supporting the Soviets in the Afghani conflict. Yes, I know some of it was knee-jerk feminist support for a Communist regime, but in retrospect it doesn't sound so stupid. The article pointed out that the Afghani "freedom fighters" were mad at the Soviets for, among other things, insisting that women have equal social rights with men, have freedoms, be able to vote, get on governing committees, etc. The Soviets put pro-Soviet Afghan women in positions of leadership in villages, for instance, but the fanatical Islamic men hated that. I never thought I'd waste any sympathy on the Soviets, but you know, *the Soviets were right* in that regard, at least.

Russia as a culture was severely degraded under Communism, and never has had a truly Western concept of freedom, but they were at the pinnacle of civilization compared to the mujahadeen, who wanted to lock women up in some version of the Stone Age. This is why, while I like the idea of our helping the local anti-Taliban forces, we're NOT solving anything in the long run if we don't *reconstruct* their society. My view is NO help, NO aid unless they set up a constitutional democracy with basic human rights for everyone. As far as the feminists of today go, who cares what they think. They just became highly irrelevant.

[ppaul]

October 8, 1998

A Message to the People of the United States of America

From Ahmad Shah Massoud Defence Minister
Islamic State of Afghanistan

Through the United States SenateCommittee on Foreign Relations
Hearing on Events in Afghanistan

In the name of God

Mr. Chairman, honorable representatives of the people of the United States of America,

I send this message to you today on behalf of the freedom and peace-loving people of Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen freedom fighters who resisted and defeated Soviet communism, the men and women who are still resisting oppression and foreign hegemony and, in the name of more than one and a half million Afghan martyrs who sacrificed their lives to uphold some of the same values and ideals shared by most Americans and Afghans alike. This is a crucial and unique moment in the history of Afghanistan and the world, a time when Afghanistan has crossed yet another threshold and is entering a new stage of struggle and resistance for its survival as a free nation and independent state.

I have spent the past 20 years, most of my youth and adult life, alongside my compatriots, at the service of the Afghan nation, fighting an uphill battle to preserve our freedom, independence, right to self-determination and dignity. Afghans fought for God and country, sometime alone, at other times with the support of the international community. Against all odds, we, meaning the free world and Afghans, halted and checkmated Soviet expansionism a decade ago. But the embattled people of my country did not savor the fruits of victory. Instead they were thrust in a whirlwind of foreign intrigue, deception, great-gamesmanship and internal strife. Our country and our noble people were brutalized, the victims of misplaced greed, hegemonic designs and ignorance. We Afghans erred too. Our shortcomings were as a result of political innocence, inexperience, vulnerability, victimization, bickering and inflated egos. But by no means does this justify what some of our so-called Cold War allies did to undermine this just victory and unleash their diabolical plans to destroy and subjugate Afghanistan.

Today, the world clearly sees and feels the results of such misguided and evil deeds. South-Central Asia is in turmoil, some countries on the brink of war. Illegal drug production, terrorist activities and planning are on the rise. Ethnic and religiously-motivated mass murders and forced displacements are taking place, and the most basic human and women’s rights are shamelessly violated. The country has gradually been occupied by fanatics, extremists, terrorists, mercenaries, drug Mafias and professional murderers. One faction, the Taliban, which by no means rightly represents Islam, Afghanistan or our centuries-old cultural heritage, has with direct foreign assistance exacerbated this explosive situation. They are unyielding and unwilling to talk or reach a compromise with any other Afghan side.

Unfortunately, this dark accomplishment could not have materialized without the direct support and involvement of influential governmental and non-governmental circles in Pakistan. Aside from receiving military logistics, fuel and arms from Pakistan, our intelligence reports indicate that more than 28,000 Pakistani citizens, including paramilitary personnel and military advisers are part of the Taliban occupation forces in various parts of Afghanistan. We currently hold more than 500 Pakistani citizens including military personnel in our POW camps. Three major concerns - namely terrorism, drugs and human rights - originate from Taliban-held areas but are instigated from Pakistan, thus forming the inter-connecting angles of an evil triangle. For many Afghans, regardless of ethnicity or religion, Afghanistan, for the second time in one decade, is once again an occupied country.

Let me correct a few fallacies that are propagated by Taliban backers and their lobbies around the world. This situation over the short and long-run, even in case of total control by the Taliban, will not be to anyone’s interest. It will not result in stability, peace and prosperity in the region. The people of Afghanistan will not accept such a repressive regime. Regional countries will never feel secure and safe. Resistance will not end in Afghanistan, but will take on a new national dimension, encompassing all Afghan ethnic and social strata.

The goal is clear. Afghans want to regain their right to self-determination through a democratic or traditional mechanism acceptable to our people. No one group, faction or individual has the right to dictate or impose its will by force or proxy on others. But first, the obstacles have to be overcome, the war has to end, just peace established and a transitional administration set up to move us toward a representative government.

We are willing to move toward this noble goal. We consider this as part of our duty to defend humanity against the scourge of intolerance, violence and fanaticism. But the international community and the democracies of the world should not waste any valuable time, and instead play their critical role to assist in any way possible the valiant people of Afghanistan overcome the obstacles that exist on the path to freedom, peace, stability and prosperity. Effective pressure should be exerted on those countries who stand against the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan. I urge you to engage in constructive and substantive discussions with our representatives and all Afghans who can and want to be part of a broad consensus for peace and freedom for Afghanistan.

With all due respect and my best wishes for the government and people of the United States,

Ahmad Shah Massoud

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chalk this up to another tremendous opportunity squandered by the Clintoon administration.

[ppaul]

Fighter for Freedom
Friend of the United States
Ahmad Shah Massoud
REST IN PEACE

[StoneColdGOP]

General Masood-

The battle has been joined.

May you rest in peace, fellow warrior, as the battle continues in your homeland, and comes to ours.

[A6M3]

Reply to post #4: The American feminists are the Taleban.

[Azzurri]

Wow, that is really sad. Sounds like he was a great man. It's too bad Clinton was busy getting bj's instead of helping freedom fighters in Afghanistan. Wasted opportunity, and now Massood is dead. Let's hope his fight lives on in his followers.

[Kerensky]

MOHAMMAD FAHIM, SUCCESSOR TO TALIBAN FOE, APPEARS AT FUNERAL

[Pearls Before Swine]

Interesting thoughts.

On another front, its hard to remember exactly why the USSR went into Afghanistan in the first place. Perhaps you (or someone else) can refresh my memory. I believe they went in about the same time that Iran was turning out the Shah. They wanted to prop up a puppet government and shore up that area of their border. The US felt they were trying to extend their influence to Iran and the Gulf. Is my memory correct?