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When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the forces of resistance were disparate and divided mujahideen groups, as interested in fighting each other and competing for Western arms as opposing the Russians. The exception was Ahmed Shah Massoud, the military strategist and political operator who solidified the resistance and undermined the Russian occupation by leading its members to a series of defensive victories. Sandy Gall was embedded with Massoud during Soviet offences and reported on the war in Afghanistan for a number of years. He has now written an illuminating biography of this charismatic guerrilla commander, which contains excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud's diaries. Massoud's prolific diary-keeping was little known during his lifetime, and his entries detail crucial moments in his life and throw fascinating light on his struggles, both in the resistance and in his personal life. Born into an ostensibly liberalising Afghanistan in the 1960s, Massoud ardently opposed communism and Mohammed Daoud, Afghanistan's puppet leader. He quickly rose to prominence and distinguished himself by coordinating the defence of the Panjshir Valley against repeated Soviet offensives. As the occupation wore on, Massoud became the resistance's unifying force. Massoud's assassination in 2001 presaged the attack on the Twin Towers just two days later and it is widely believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Forever the underdog in a life dominated by conflict, Massoud's attempts to build political consensus in Afghanistan were ultimately frustrated. Despite that, he is recognised today as a national hero.
Contents
Contents
Introduction ix
Rory Stewart
Author's Note xvi
Translator's Note xix
Prologue 1
1. The British 'Find' Massoud 3
2. Were We Nearly Shot?: Meeting Massoud 9
3. The Boy Who Loved Playing Soldiers 19
4. The Coup that Failed: Exile in Pakistan 26
5. Bombed by the Russians in the Panjsher 34
6. The Russians Propose a Ceasefire 51
7. Massoud Deals with the Russians 61
8. Marriage and War 85
9. Defeat and Failure: 'Am I Afraid of Death?' 90
10. The Russian Perspective 112
11. A Winter Offensive 117
12. Massoud Takes Farkhar 138
13. Expanding into the North 149
14. The Russians Prepare to Withdraw 162
15. Massoud Captures Kabul 179
16. Under Siege: Massoud in Kabul 189
17. Tea and Rockets with the Taliban 211
18. Mortal Enemies 225
19. Massoud Retreats from Kabul 228
20. A Low Ebb 234
21. 'My Father was Incorruptible' 261
22. Massoud Visits Europe 269
23. How They Killed Massoud 274
24. The Eve of Assassination 290
25. A Final Encounter 299
Epilogue 309
Acknowledgements 315
Select Bibliography 317
Notes 319
Index 341
