Ahmad Massoud

Ahmad Massoud was born into a Tajik family in 1989.He was mentioned as 27 years old in {{cite web|language=fr|url=https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/86bf790d-60ee-4096-824a-aaf11b8bfbd7__7C___0.html|title=Ahmad Massoud, l'héritier du lion|trans-title=Ahmad Massoud, the Heir of the Lion|date=September 9, 2016|access-date=23 August 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819173210/https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/86bf790d-60ee-4096-824a-aaf11b8bfbd7__7C___0.html|url-status=live}} He is the only son and the oldest of Ahmad Shah Massoud's six children.{{cite web|url=https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/my-father-was-the-first-to-negotiate-with-the-taliban-26690|title='My father was the first to negotiate with the Taliban'|date=June 3, 2019|website=TRT World|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-date=21 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821043616/https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/my-father-was-the-first-to-negotiate-with-the-taliban-26690|url-status=live}}

After attending high school in Iran, Massoud trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.{{Cite web|date=6 September 2019|title=Son of slain Afghan resistance hero Ahmad Shah Massoud enters political fray|url=http://www.rfi.fr/en/asia-pacific/20190906-ahmad-massoud-son-slain-afghan-resistance-hero-joins-political-fray|url-status=live|website=www.rfi.fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318051304/http://www.rfi.fr/en/asia-pacific/20190906-ahmad-massoud-son-slain-afghan-resistance-hero-joins-political-fray |archive-date=18 March 2020 }}{{Cite web |title=Ahmad Massoud (1943–2014) |url=https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/download/4673/4744}} In 2012, he commenced an undergraduate degree in war studies at King's College London, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in 2015. He obtained his master's degree in international politics from City, University of London in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/son-of-famed-afghan-commander-massoud-steps-into-spotlight|title=Son of famed Afghan commander Massoud steps into spotlight|date=August 28, 2019|website=The Straits Times|access-date=14 April 2020|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819230453/https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/son-of-famed-afghan-commander-massoud-steps-into-spotlight|url-status=live}}{{cite web |author=Anne Chaon |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/lion-panjshirs-son-ready-afghan-destiny-084626766.html |title=Lion of Panjshir's son ready to take up his Afghan destiny |publisher=Yahoo.com |date=2016-09-01 |accessdate=2016-11-28 |archive-date=17 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817182041/https://www.yahoo.com/news/lion-panjshirs-son-ready-afghan-destiny-084626766.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |author=AFP |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1174017/lion-panjshir-ahmad-shah-masoods-son-ready-take-afghan-destiny/ |title=Lion of Panjshir: Ahmad Shah Masood's son ready to take up his Afghan destiny |newspaper=The Express Tribune |date=2016-09-01 |accessdate=2016-11-28 |archive-date=22 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822201551/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1174017/lion-panjshir-ahmad-shah-masoods-son-ready-take-afghan-destiny |url-status=live}} His undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation topics were the Taliban.{{cite web |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/meeting-ahmad-massoud-the-sandhurst-graduate-taking-on-the-taliban |title=Meeting Ahmad Massoud, the Sandhurst graduate taking on the Taliban |last=Casey |first=John |magazine=The Spectator |url-access=limited |date=28 August 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827143048/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/meeting-ahmad-massoud-the-sandhurst-graduate-taking-on-the-taliban |url-status=live }}

Massoud returned to Afghanistan and was appointed CEO of the Massoud Foundation in 2016.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bb2tDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Ahmad+Massoud%22&pg=PA166|title=Warlord Survival: The Delusion of State Building in Afghanistan|first=Romain|last=Malejacq|date=January 15, 2020|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=9781501746437|via=Google Books|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=9 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409222148/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bb2tDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Ahmad+Massoud%22&pg=PA166|url-status=live}}

Since March 2019, Massoud has officially entered politics, a widely anticipated move for one referred to in Panjshir as the "predestined."{{Cite news|url=https://www.insideover.com/reportage/politics/the-return-of-the-lion-of-panjshir.html|title=The Return of the Lion of Panjshir|first=Fausto|last=Biloslavo|website=InsideOver|access-date=20 August 2021|archive-date=20 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820203306/https://www.insideover.com/reportage/politics/the-return-of-the-lion-of-panjshir.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/heir-to-lion-of-panjshir-returns-to-reunite-his-fathers-followers-tfw3nx8qm|title=Heir to Lion of Panjshir returns to reunite his father's followers|via=www.thetimes.co.uk|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902222941/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/heir-to-lion-of-panjshir-returns-to-reunite-his-fathers-followers-tfw3nx8qm|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://asiatimes.com/2019/09/afghanistan-ahmad-massoud-seizes-fathers-torch/|title=Afghanistan: Ahmad Massoud seizes father's torch|first=Alison Tahmizian|last=Meuse|date=September 5, 2019|website=Asia Times|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-date=22 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822100851/https://asiatimes.com/2019/09/afghanistan-ahmad-massoud-seizes-fathers-torch/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/taliban-seeks-to-share-power-in-afghanistans-government-but-will-ethnic-groups-approve|title=Taliban seeks to share power in Afghanistan's government, but will ethnic groups approve?|date=December 14, 2019|website=PBS NewsHour|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065026/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/taliban-seeks-to-share-power-in-afghanistans-government-but-will-ethnic-groups-approve|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Glasse |first=Jennifer |title=Son of famed Afghan resistance fighter launches new political movement |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghanistan-new-political-movement-ahmad-massoud-1.5276055 |website=CBC |date=September 11, 2019 |access-date=13 April 2020 |archive-date=17 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817194942/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghanistan-new-political-movement-ahmad-massoud-1.5276055 |url-status=live}} He has endorsed his father's idea of a Swiss model for internal power relations in Afghanistan, saying that the decentralization of government and the de-concentration of power from Kabul would give a more efficient allocation of resources and authority to provinces in the country, thereby bringing prosperity and stability to the country as a whole.{{Cite web|date=3 July 2020|title=Ahmad Massoud: Decentralization is the Solution|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/ahmad-massoud-decentralisation-is-the-solution-son-of-afghan-national-hero-says-1.1043346|url-status=live|website=www.thenationalnews.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116211529/https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/ahmad-massoud-decentralisation-is-the-solution-son-of-afghan-national-hero-says-1.1043346 |archive-date=16 November 2020 }}{{Cite news|title=What Is Missing From Afghan Peace Talks|work=New York Times|date=14 April 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/opinion/afghanistan-peace-talks.html|url-status=live|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819061817/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/opinion/afghanistan-peace-talks.html |last=Massoud |first=Ahmad}}{{Cite news|title=Son of slain Afghan commander Massoud warns of 'civil war' if US troops leave hastily|work=www.france24.com|url=https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/the-interview/20210324-son-of-slain-afghan-commander-massoud-warns-of-civil-war-if-us-troops-leave-hastily|url-status=live|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=20 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820221032/https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/the-interview/20210324-son-of-slain-afghan-commander-massoud-warns-of-civil-war-if-us-troops-leave-hastily}}

Massoud objected to the direction of the Afghan peace process in 2019, which he believed did not represent the interests of all Afghans. In September of that year, he announced the creation of a new coalition of mujahideen leaders modeled on the Northern Alliance that had resisted the Taliban in the 1990s.{{cite news|last=Glasse|first=Jennifer|title=Son of famed Afghan resistance fighter launches new political movement|date=September 11, 2019|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghanistan-new-political-movement-ahmad-massoud-1.5276055|access-date=2021-08-18|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817194942/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghanistan-new-political-movement-ahmad-massoud-1.5276055|url-status=live}} The coalition, known as the Second Resistance or National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, became one of several independent military forces built up ahead of the United States military withdrawal.{{cite news|last=Zucchino|first=David|last2=Fazi|first2=Fatima|title=Attacked and Vulnerable, Some Afghans Are Forming Their Own Armies|date=June 24, 2021|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/world/asia/vulnerable-afghans-forming-militias.html|access-date=2021-08-17|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902210404/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/world/asia/vulnerable-afghans-forming-militias.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Behzan|first=Frud|date=2021-08-12|others=Radio Azadi|title=Afghanistan's Anti-Taliban Stronghold Gears Up For New Fight Against Militants|url=https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/panjshir-valley-taliban-afghanistan/31407634.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-17|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812161228/https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/panjshir-valley-taliban-afghanistan/31407634.html |archive-date=12 August 2021 }} After most of the country surrendered to the Taliban during its 2021 offensive, Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh met in Panjshir and declared their rejection of Taliban rule. Massoud appealed in the American press for military and logistical support for his forces. Among other reasons, he listed the need to protect women's rights, prevent public executions, and avoid the return of a safe haven in Afghanistan for international terrorists.{{Cite web|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|date=August 18, 2021|title=Opinion: The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/18/mujahideen-resistance-taliban-ahmad-massoud/|url-status=live|website=www.washingtonpost.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818154543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/18/mujahideen-resistance-taliban-ahmad-massoud/ |archive-date=18 August 2021 }}

On 22 August 2021, he warned of a potential civil war if a power-sharing agreement was not reached and said that war was "unavoidable" under those circumstances, saying "We defeated the Soviet Union, we can defeat the Taliban".{{cite news |last=Beaumont |first=Peter |title=Afghan civil war 'unavoidable' if Taliban refuse talks, says opposition leader |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/22/taliban-seek-to-assert-control-around-kabul-airport-as-death-toll-rises |access-date=22 August 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 August 2021 |archive-date=30 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830230006/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/22/taliban-seek-to-assert-control-around-kabul-airport-as-death-toll-rises |url-status=live}} He has founded the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) which has thousands of fighters. Massoud has asked the U.S., France and others in Europe and the Arab world to support the NRF.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/ahmad-massoud-nrf-taliban-afghanistan-b1909341.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826171939/https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/ahmad-massoud-nrf-taliban-afghanistan-b1909341.html |archive-date=2021-08-26 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Who is Ahmad Massoud, the man building an anti-Taliban resistance in Afghanistan? |last=Duncan |first=Conrad |website=The Independent |date=26 August 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021}} He has also stated his desire to negotiate with the Taliban, but that if talks fail he is ready for a military confrontation.{{Cite web|last=Mackenzie|first=James|date=2021-08-22|title=Anti-Taliban leader Massoud wants to talk but ready to fight|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/anti-taliban-leader-massoud-says-negotiation-only-way-forward-2021-08-22/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-22|website=Reuters|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822163740/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/anti-taliban-leader-massoud-says-negotiation-only-way-forward-2021-08-22/ |archive-date=22 August 2021}}

On 6 September 2021, with the Taliban taking control of the Panjshir Valley, Massoud moved to an unknown location and said the resistance will continue.{{cite news |last=Pannett |first=Rachel |title=Panjshir Valley, last resistance holdout in Afghanistan, falls to the Taliban |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/06/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-updates/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=6 September 2021 |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018221123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/06/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-updates/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiablooms.com/world-details/SA/31147/afghanistan-ahmad-massoud-says-he-is-alive-and-resistance-will-continue.html |title=Afghanistan: Ahmad Massoud says he is alive and resistance will continue |website=Indiablooms |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906120829/https://www.indiablooms.com/world-details/SA/31147/afghanistan-ahmad-massoud-says-he-is-alive-and-resistance-will-continue.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Explainer: Panjshir – Afghanistan’s valley of resistance |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/explainer-afghanistans-panjshir-valley |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} On 9 September, Massoud's spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary stated that both Massoud and acting Islamic Republic of Afghanistan President Amrullah Saleh were "safe" and still in Afghanistan.{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/nrf-taliban-ahmad-massoud-amrullah-saleh-safe-panjshir-afghanistan-1850853-2021-09-09|title=Ahmad Massoud, Saleh safe, Panjshir hasn't fallen: NRF says Taliban will suffer consequences:Exclusive|first=Geeta|last=Mohan|publisher=India Today|date=9 September 2021|accessdate=9 September 2021|archive-date=9 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909100811/https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/nrf-taliban-ahmad-massoud-amrullah-saleh-safe-panjshir-afghanistan-1850853-2021-09-09|url-status=live}} Nazary also disputed reports that the Taliban had full control of the Province, stating that 60% was still under National Resistance Front control, and stated that NRF forces made a "tactical withdrawal" from some areas.{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/nrf-says-60-percent-of-afghanistans-panjshir-still-under-control-ahmad-massoud-and-amrullah-saleh-alive-9950481.html|title=NRF says 60 percent of Afghanistan's Panjshir still under control, Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh alive|publisher=First Post|date=9 September 2021|accessdate=9 September 2021|archive-date=9 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909143537/https://www.firstpost.com/world/nrf-says-60-percent-of-afghanistans-panjshir-still-under-control-ahmad-massoud-and-amrullah-saleh-alive-9950481.html|url-status=live}} On 8 September French intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy shared a photo of himself talking to Massoud in Panjshir in 2020 on his Twitter page and also disputed the reports of the Taliban taking full control of the province.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Massoud has since been leading the NRF operations from inside Tajikstan and participated in the Vienna conferences in working towards "a democratic Afghanistan". The meetings brought together leading Afghan anti-Taliban figures, women's rights activists, and civil society representatives.

• {{cite book|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|date=2023|title=Notre liberté|language=French|publisher={{interlanguage link|Éditions Bouquins|fr}}|isbn=9782382922354}}
• {{cite book|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|author-mask=7|date=2024|title=In the Name of my Father: Struggling for Freedom in Afghanistan|publisher=Republic Book Publishers|isbn=9781645720966}}

• {{cite journal|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|date=14 April 2020|title=What Is Missing From Afghan Peace Talks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/opinion/afghanistan-peace-talks.html|journal=The New York Times}}
• {{cite journal|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|author-mask=7|date=20 March 2021|title=La lettre de remerciement aux Parisiens d'Ahmad Massoud, fils du commandant Massoud|url=https://www.lejdd.fr/International/la-lettre-de-remerciement-aux-parisiens-dahmad-massoud-fils-du-commandant-massoud-4032854|journal=Le Journal du Dimanche}}
• {{cite journal|last=Massoud|first=Ahmad|author-mask=7|date=18 August 2021|title=The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/18/mujahideen-resistance-taliban-ahmad-massoud/|journal=The Washington Post}}

• {{cite AV media|people=Alam, Kamal; Massoud, Ahmad|date=12 August 2022|title=Ahmad Massoud reveals what's next for the Afghan resistance, one year after the Taliban's takeover|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/afghan-resistance-leader-ahmad-massoud-there-is-no-other-option-but-to-fight-on-against-the-taliban/|publisher=Atlantic Council}}
• {{cite AV media|people=Coffey, Luke; Massoud, Ahmad|date=7 December 2022|title=A Conversation with Ahmad Massoud on the Future of Afghanistan|url=https://www.hudson.org/events/conversation-ahmad-massoud-future-afghanistan|publisher=Hudson Institute}}

{{Portal|Afghanistan|Biography}}

• Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• Ali Maisam Nazary

{{Reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massoud, Ahmad}}

Category:1989 births

Category:Living people

Category:Afghan Tajik people

Category:Afghan Muslims

Category:Afghan democracy activists

Category:Tajik politicians

Category:Politicians of Panjshir Province

Category:Alumni of King's College London

Category:Alumni of City, University of London

Category:Afghan anti-communists

Category:Critics of Islamism