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The desecration of Ahmad Shah Massoud's tombstone, the late commander of the Resistance Front in Panjshir, on Saturday has sparked reactions across Afghanistan.
The former government's Supreme Council for National Reconciliation head, Abdullah Abdullah, responded angrily to the vandalism of Ahmad Shah Massoud's gravestone by describing the offenders as "villainous and irresponsible," reported Khaama Press. Pictures that have been made public reveal that the recently restored headstone of the late resistance front leader has once more been desecrated and broken, with pieces scattered all over the place. The tombstone of the resistance front commander has previously been disrespectfully and hatefully destroyed by Taliban government fighters. Videos of Taliban dancing and stomping in Ahmad Shah Massoud's tomb have been circulated throughout the past year, reported Khaama Press. In response to the outrage and protests of the public, the Taliban restructured Massoud's mausoleum, but recent reports indicate that the tomb has once more been damaged. Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government, claimed that Taliban forces were not responsible for destroying Ahmad Shah Massoud's tombstone, reported Khaama Press. He dismissed the claims and stated that the rumours of the Taliban members desecrating the tombstone is untrue. Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of the main leaders of Afghanistan's anti-Soviet resistance in the 1980s and was assassinated on September 9, 2001, at the behest of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, then-President Burhanuddin Rabbani and Defence Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud and their allies retreated to northern Afghanistan. They built a united front of anti-Taliban forces in the Panjshir Valley and launched a resistance. The Northern Alliance played a critical part in the US-led attacks on the Taliban. India, Iran, and Russia also supported the province in resistance. The tough terrain allowed Massoud to keep the Valley away from the Taliban. After 20 years, the Taliban recaptured Kabul almost all of Afghanistan except Panjshir. The Taliban who has taken control of all of Afghanistan is facing tough resistance from the Panjshir province. Ahmad Massoud has been leading the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. He closely resembles his father in appearance and commands a militia in the valley. (ANI)
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