Taliban Vandalise Tomb of 'Lion of Panjshir' Ahmad Shah Massoud

Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of the Mujahedeen leaders that helped defeat the Soviet forces and fought the Taliban.

Ahmed Shah Massoud's tomb on the Martyrs Hill in Panjshir.

Photo by Akhil Bakshi

Days after the alleged fall of Panjashir, reports now say that the Taliban have bombed the tomb of Ahmad Shah Massoud in the northeast Afghan valley.

Massoud, popularly known as "The Lion of Panjshir" is considered a national hero of Afghan resistance, who played an important role in defeating the Soviets in 1989.

The news of the destruction near the tomb came on the 20th anniversary of Massoud's death.

The news broke when media channels and journalists, both local and international, started sharing pictures of the vandalised site. Twitter frenzy followed.

Tajuden Soroush, Senior Correspondent at Iranian TV news channel Iran International, was one of the first to share pictures of the vandalised tomb on Tuesday, 7 September, which was later confirmed by the Afghan news website Aamaj News, The Print reported.

Pictures circulated on social media led to a storm where netizens called the Taliban out for disrespecting the Koranic verses at the tomb site.

The Lion's Legacy

Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed two days before the 9/11 attacks when an Al Qaeda suicide bomber came to him for an interview in disguise of a journalist. IANS recalls an interview with the commander in 1997 when he was the chief of the Northern Alliance and had declared that he was still the acting defence minister of Afghnaistan even after the Taliban's capture of Kabul.

"Ahmad Shah Massoud acknowledged that Afghanistan had their fair share of problems, and part of this crisis stemmed from internal causes. He talked about military balance, however contested that war is not a solution. He blamed Pakistan for portraying Afghans as uncultured and uncivilised and that the international community should ask Pakistan to not interfere in Afghan affairs," an IANS report reads.

After his death, his forces remained intact and fought alongside the United States forces to fight the Taliban, India Today reported. His son Ahmad Massoud has now taken his place and is said to have fought the Taliban in Panjshir.

Another member of the Massoud family, Ahmad Wali Massoud has been rallying the resistance's cause on social media. He also spoke about his brother's values alive in the nation's spirit.

(With inputs from The Print, India Today and IANS)