Taliban Partially Destroy Tomb of ‘Lion of Panjshir’ Ahmad Shah Massoud

The Taliban have partially demolished the tomb of renowned Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was also the founder of Northern Alliance, in Panjshir. The incident has reportedly triggered outrage in Afghanistan where Massoud is known as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’, who successfully led resistance groups from the valley against the Soviet Union and the Taliban.

The tomb was demolished on the 20th anniversary of Massoud’s assassination. The news of the desecration of Massoud’s tomb was reported by local media sharing images in a tweet.

How was Massoud killed?

Massoud was killed two days before 9/11, when an Al-Qaeda suicide squad posing as journalists sat down for an interview with him. Before he could answer a question, they detonated explosives that investigators said later had been cunningly disguised in their camera equipment.

The charismatic Massoud built his name during the 1980s as a brilliant guerrilla commander repelling Soviet forces. The audacious hit was ordered by Osama bin Laden himself.

The assassins pretended to be filming a documentary, and secured the Massoud interview by presenting a concocted back story printed on a letterhead from an Islamic centre in Britain. They used stolen Belgian passports to travel.

A week after he was killed, Massoud was buried in his home district of Bazarak — his body shrouded in the colours of the Afghan flag and with thousands of followers in the funeral procession. A marble tomb was built attracting huge numbers of devotees.

(With AFP inputs)

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.