How one anti-Taliban resistance leader is approaching the fight ahead


Ahmad Massoud wants the world to know he is not giving up.
Son of late commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, a famed resistance leader against both the Soviets and the Taliban, Massoud is now spearheading the fight in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, the country's last anti-Taliban holdout.
"Make this known: There is no question of giving up the fight," Massoud told the The Wall Street Journal. "Here in Panjshir, our resistance is just beginning."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We will never accept an imposed peace," he added, "and we will resist until we achieve justice and freedom." Massoud said thousands of Afghans are joining in the fight, and he will continue to negotiate with the Taliban because "as any human being, I prefer peace over war." He maintained that "the wind may shift" if he receives support "from anyone who is willing," and from the U.S., in particular. "I will never accept an imposed peace for the sake of stability," Massoud told the Journal.
On Monday, an Afghan soldier was shot and killed by an "unknown assailant" in a gunfight outside of Kabul's airport, as the herculean effort to evacuate Americans, foreigners, and Afghan allies continues, writes The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the Taliban have warned that any move to extend the American presence in Afghanistan beyond the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline would "provoke a reaction," per Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen.
The militant group has reportedly begun surrounding Panjshir, and Massoud's fate may now be "uncertain." Read more at The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
August 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include a tariff self-own, rough times at the Trump golf course, and more
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
US and Japan strike trade deal
Speed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza
Speed Read Countries including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K. have released a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing attacks
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months