Eighteen years after the assassination of revered anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, his only son is hoping to continue the mission against the insurgents by jumping into Afghanistan's chaotic political fray, AFP reports.
With America seemingly on the brink of a deal with the Taliban that would see the Pentagon slash its troop presence in Afghanistan, 30-year-old Ahmad Massoud wants to galvanise anti-Taliban groups and stop the emboldened fighters from ushering in a new wave of hardline Islam.
Following in the steps of his father, who rallied various groups under the banner of the United Front -- also known as the Northern Alliance -- the younger Massoud wants to build a grand coalition of anti-Taliban elements that can oppose the insurgents politically at first, and militarily if necessary.
AFP / WAKIL KOHSARAhmad Massoud plans to officially launch his political movement on September 5 in Panjshir, Afghanistan
"I really pray and hope that Afghans and Afghanistan never see another bloodshed," Massoud told AFP in an interview at a family home in Kabul.
"God forbid. But if it comes, not just myself, but there are... hundreds of thousands of young people who are like me. We are ready to pick up guns."
Massoud plans to officially launch his political movement on September 5 in Panjshir, his family's original home valley north of Kabul that neither the Soviets nor the Taliban ever conquered.
Read more: