The son of Afghanistan’s most famous anti-Taliban fighter says he has the strength to put up an effective deterrence, but calls on the United States to supply arms and ammunition to his militias.
In an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post, Ahmed Masood said “America may still have a great arsenal of democracy” by backing its fighters.
“I write today with Mujahideen fighters ready to follow in my father’s footsteps from the Panjshir Valley, who are once again ready to take on the Taliban,” he said.
His father, Ahmed Shah Masood, known as the Sher of Panjshir, led the strongest resistance against the Taliban from his stronghold in the northeast valley of Kabul until his assassination in 2001.
Renowned for its natural defenses, a suppressed insurgency in the Hindu Kush mountains never toppled the Taliban during the 1990 civil war, nor was it won by the Soviet Union a decade earlier, and is now Afghanistan’s last remaining holdout.
Hoping to follow in his “father’s footsteps”, Masood said he was joined by former members of the country’s special forces and Afghan army soldiers in “hatred of the surrender of their commanders”.
Social media images show Afghanistan’s disobedient vice president Amrullah Saleh meeting with Masood, and the two are seen assembling the first pieces of a guerrilla movement to take on the Taliban.
“But we need more weapons, more ammunition and more supplies,” Masood said.
– ‘ground Zero’ –
Tens of thousands of people have tried to flee Afghanistan since radical Islamist militants broke into the capital on Sunday, a surprise defeat by government forces and ending two decades of war.
Nearly 6,000 people – including American civilians and Afghans – have been evacuated by the US military, with the government urging the Taliban to allow safe passage for people to flee.
Masood said the Taliban are a threat beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
“Under Taliban control, Afghanistan will undoubtedly become a base for radical Islamic terrorism; Here again a conspiracy will be hatched against democracy.”
Masood said his fighters were prepared for the coming conflict, but they needed US assistance.
Since its takeover, the Taliban have been showing off the vast stockpile of weapons, equipment and weapons they have confiscated from Afghan forces – most of which are supplied by the United States.
Social media images showed Taliban fighters carrying M4 and M18 assault rifles, M24 sniper weapons and walking around in iconic US Humvees.
The seizure has increased criticism of President Joe Biden’s hasty return.
Masood said that, after 20 years, the US and Afghanistan share “ideals and conflicts” and asked Washington to continue supporting the Taliban “for the cause of independence” rather than abandoning Afghans.
“You are our only remaining hope,” he said.
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