On the 24th anniversary of the assassination of legendary Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, opposition leaders held a virtual memorial — transforming a day of mourning into a powerful call for unity. Their central message, as reported by Afintl.af: internal divisions among resistance factions are the Taliban’s greatest strategic advantage, Afintl.af reports.
Ahmad Massoud, son of the national hero and current leader of the National Resistance Front, delivered a blunt warning:
“The enemy thrives when we waste our strength fighting each other.”
He stressed that resistance must extend beyond the battlefield into the realm of ideas — a “war of narratives” now as vital as armed struggle.
“We are duty-bound to fight for freedom. We accept no defeat, no surrender. No tyranny lasts forever — and the Taliban’s cruelty will also meet its end,” Massoud declared.
His call was echoed by Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the charismatic leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, who issued a solemn vow in an emotional address:
“To die in my bed would be my shame. I have sworn to overthrow this regime. Tyranny is never eternal — it always yields to the people’s will.”
Mohammad Mohaqiq, head of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, joined the appeal, urging rival factions to set aside differences:
“We must learn to accept one another. Only then can we stand against our common enemy.”
Leaders also drew sober lessons from history. Former Vice President Sarwar Danish cautioned that without a clear, sustainable vision for the future, a post-Taliban Afghanistan risks repeating the chaos of 2001 — when the Bonn Conference’s fragile settlement collapsed into infighting and civil conflict among victorious mujahideen factions.
Mohammad Omar Daudzai, former Interior Minister, highlighted the growing moral authority of Ahmad Shah Massoud — a figure whose legacy, he noted, only deepens with time. Daudzai also condemned Taliban social media activists for what he called “vulgar, culturally alien attacks” on opponents — behavior he said violates Afghan traditions of even respecting one’s enemies.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
Sept. 11, 2025