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Ahmad Shah Massoud

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Martyr

The Resume

    (September 2, 1953-September 9, 2001)
    Born in Bazarak (Panshjir), Afghanistan
    Afghan military/political leader, central to insurgent resistance to Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–1989)
    Minister of Defense for Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2001)
    Served in the United Islamic Front, or the ‘Northern Alliance,’ after the rise of the Taliban
    Nicknamed the ‘Lion of Panshjir’
    Assassinated in a suicide bombing two days before the September 11 Terror Attacks (Sept. 9, 2001)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was labeled ‘a butcher’ by the Pashtuns
    He wrote poetry.
    He allegedly had secret prisons in Panjshir and Khawaja Bahauddin where he tortured Pakistani prisoners.
    He has been blamed for the destruction of Kabul, leading many to migrate to neighboring Pakistan, and the subsequent deaths of 50,000 Afghanis.
    He was accused of exacerbating the ethnic conflicts within Afghanistan (ex. his forces committed widespread rape and looting in minority Hazara neighborhoods, post-Soviet occupation).
    He was a darling of the French government and media.
    His posthumous nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 royally pissed off factions within the Pakistan and Afghanistan governments, who claimed he didn’t warrant it.
    His depiction in ABC's 'Path to 9/11' started a debate as to whether or not he was involved in a 1997 mission to kill Osama Bin Laden aborted at the last minute.
    He started a political dynasty.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is the only Afghan insurgent leader not to flee Afghanistan, either during the Soviet occupation or during the rise of the Taliban.
    By 1996, he was able to get his troops under control, preventing them from further violence (the territory under his direct control was described as ‘the last tolerant corner in Afghanistan’).
    His hometown, Panjshir, is still described as ‘one of the most peaceful places in the country.’
    He was an advocate of women’s rights, drafting the Declaration of Essential Rights for Afghan Women and ending the law of the woman’s burqa in his territory.
    He attempted to negotiate with the Taliban following their rise in 1995 but was unwilling to accept their Fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
    He was the Taliban’s only formidable adversary, killing hundreds of Taliban fighters through guerilla warfare.
    His patience and wisdom has become legendary in Afghanistan (he was awarded the title of ‘National Hero of Afghanistan’ by the Afghan Interim Government and Hamid Karzai in 2004).
    He is said to have warned the US of the threat of 9/11 in early spring of 2001, when he urged the US to put greater pressure on the Taliban.
    It is strongly believed that Osama Bin Laden ordered his assassination before the 9/11 attacks to ensure that the Taliban would make gains unimpeded.
    Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said of him: ‘I met Massoud the first week after he captured Kabul and I fell in love with him like everyone else. He was truly an astonishing guy. I wish that Osama met Massoud. Maybe if Osama met Massoud it could have changed history.’
    He was living proof that not all Muslim leaders were extremist radicals who were hellbent on slaughtering infidels.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 35 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 19 Votes: 31.58% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 88 Votes: 42.05% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 140 Votes: 58.57% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 215 Votes: 53.95% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 27 Votes: 48.15% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 73 Votes: 58.90% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 427 Votes: 59.95% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 102 Votes: 50.0% Annoying