The Murder of Massoud

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On September 9, 2001 al-Qaeda suicide bombers assassinated Ahmed Shah Massoud. They had been posing as Moroccan documentary film makers. One man had a video camera filled with explosives. The other assassin tried to escape but was killed by Massoud's bodyguards. While the initial blast did not kill Massoud, he was severly injured in the head, chest, and legs. Efforts were made to get him to a hospital in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, but he died en route.

Worried that the Taliban and al-Qaeda would believe the Northern Alliance was leaderless and therefore vulnerable to attack, word was sent around the world that Massoud had been injured but was expected to survive.

Two days later, on September 11, al-Qaeda attacked the United States with more suicide bombers. To many people the assassination of Massoud is directly linked to the attack upon America. One school of thought is that bin Laden wanted to further indebt the Taliban to him by killing the man they most feared. Others believe that Massoud posed a threat to al-Qaeda itself. He was a man around whom America's responsive attack would most easily be built. With the death of Massoud, the United States lost its most valuable and able Afghan ally.

The Lion of Panjshir was killed on September 9, 2001.

On September 15, 2001 the death of Ahmed Shah Massoud was confirmed to the world. His funeral was held the next day. The official count of mourners who attended is 24,000.

Two weeks after the funeral for Ahmed Shah Massoud, US bombs began to fall on Afghanistan. The liberation of the country for which he lived, fought, and died would happen without Commander Massoud at the head of the battle. His men brought him into battle with them the only way they could. His picture was on every tank, every car, and every personel carrier they had.

All photos by Associated Press