Ahmad Shah Masoud: The Janos Savambi of Afghanistan
Massoud and peaceful Afghanistan are incompatible
Weekend Post,
By J.K. Sufi
June 6,1999
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The erstwhile allies are foes of today. They are fundamentalists, terrorists and threat to the civilised world. Egypt which was compelled to release thousands of 'fundamentalist' Ikhwans (Muslim Brotherhood followers), to fight the war of the West in Afghanistan, now daily shows pictures from Afghanistan on TV to convince its public that the domestic fundamentalist elements if given power would do the same to Egypt. The West is reaping the whirlwinds all over the world.
The war of the two opposing ideologies was fought on every ground. Each side supported its 'allies', disregarding the wishes of the population.
Janos Savambi from Angola who was fighting unsuccessful but brutal war against the triumphant MPLA government was lavishly supported by those imperialist forces who now pass moral judgements on every issue. He was basically a bandit and terrorist, but was hailed as freedom fighter.
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Janos Savambi's counterpart can be found everywhere. In Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Masood is another Janos Savambi. If the West has not yet dubbed him so, it is because that it is still considering the Taliban to be its enemy. And any one opposed to their enemy is their ally like Janos Savambi had been.
To the Afghans and Afghanistan he is playing the role of his Angolan counterpart. Those witnesses to the recent history of Afghanistan will testify that Ahmad Shah Masood took to the profession of fighting long before a single communist or Russian was in power or in Afghanistan. His whole being depends upon war.
He thrives on war. He eats, drinks and inhales war. Nothing outside it appeals to him. He seized power with the help of Dostam and Karmal-led 'communist' forces, soon turned against them, opted for Mujahideen, selected minions from them, stripped Rabbani of his powers and in reality became the sole deciding authority in Kabul. But still his attitude did not change. Formally defence minister and organisational head of Jamiat-e-Islami, he behaved not like a minister but a bandit. Peace could not prevail because he did not want it. Mujahideen's rule could not consolidate because he is opposed to every normal type of governance. He even cut to size the party of Rabbani after seizing its organisational post.
Rabbani became a puppet in his hands. When the emergence of the Taliban still seemed just a far cry, he shifted all heavy weaponry, including dreadful Scud and Luna missiles, to Panjsher, his bastion, instead of keeping them for the defence of the country and his authority.
Because he knew that his profession was to fight. It does not bother him as who would be the enemy. The enemy is peace. The enemy is normalcy. The enemy is tranquillity. The enemy is popular government. He has no vision other than war. When it comes to peace, he is ill at ease. He soon devises ways and means to extricate himself out of 'peace dilemma'.
These U.S. allies are rapists. As early as 1996, the U.S. State Department's own report on human rights in Afghanistan concluded that the forces led by (the now lionized) Ahmed Shah Massoud systematically raped and killed Hazzara women in Kabul in March 1995: "Massood's troops went on a rampage, systematically looting whole streets and raping women." Since their return to power, Northern Alliance forces have returned to their old habits...
Gary Leupp, CounterPunch.org, July 16, 2002
Peace which carries responsibilities and obligations with it. Those who have worked with him closely would testify that he and peaceful Afghanistan are incompatible. When briefly he was away from direct combats in Kabul, he devised plans of terrorist acts against individuals considered to be his real or potential opponents. It did not bother him as to which camp the opponent belonged at that moment. His is a war-prone and crisis-prone personality.
His history shows that he opposed all the present allies and foes at one or other time. He fought against Shiite Hizb-e-Wahdat. Now they are his allies. He fought against Hekmatyar. He is now his ally. He allied with Dostam and Karmal to topple Najib and later on turned against them.
Now again they are his allies. He made peace with the Taliban and invited them to Kabul when he was all-powerful there in 1996 and treacherously fought against them. He did not even spare Rabbani, fought and disarmed his powerful commanders like Anwar Dangar. He kept Najib as prisoner in the UN compound and ordered his men to kill him before he withdrew from Kabul. Though apparently the blame was put at the doors of the Taliban for his murder afterwards, he foxily sympathised with Najib's supporters and shed crocodile tears. As if he had not been his captor.
Even before there had been any sign of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in the early '80s when Babrak Karmal was in power, he made peace with the Russians, signed protocols with them and fought against other forces. But still the West eulogised him as 'lion of Panjsher' and wise strategist. He ransacked the Kabul museum and sold all its treasure when he was in power at Kabul.
He stole all the emerald and lapis lazuli pieces of Afghanistan and sold them in the western markets and pocketed the money. He is still busy in this dirty business. He stole tons of gold from the Arg and looted the banks.
He prints money with the help of his Russian friends, changes it into dollars and finances his war. He even invites dubious characters from the international gun mafia and asks for chemical weapons.
Some knowledgeable forces think that unless and until Masood wields influence in Afghanistan, no peace and tranquillity is thinkable in the country.
Even if the Taliban sweep Afghanistan or someone else holds authority all over the country, Masood will fight from some dale or mountain. Because he has to fight. War is his profession and he does not know anything else. He is Janos Savambi of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this unlucky land has to deal with countless minor characters of his ilk.
The difference between Taliban and jehadi fundamentalists
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