CNN
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Three years after the departure of the final US troops from Afghanistan, the scenario within the nation is bleak, with the Taliban tightening its grip because it introduces more and more oppressive legal guidelines that limit political freedoms and suppress the rights of girls.
Most Afghans have needed to acquiesce to the Taliban not as a result of they embrace their misogynistic ideology however as a result of they’ve all of the weapons. Nonetheless, there’s a nascent resistance motion. I spoke to its chief, Ahmad Massoud, who mentioned he’s engaged in “a combat for the soul and way forward for our nation, and we’re decided to win, regardless of the percentages.”
He’s the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who led the Afghan resistance to the Taliban greater than two and half a long time in the past when the Taliban first seized energy in Afghanistan in 1996.
Massoud is now 35, and he leads the Nationwide Resistance Entrance to the Taliban. In our interview, he asserted that his group has carried out 207 army operations round Afghanistan this 12 months and that he has 5,000 troopers beneath his management. Verifying this type of data independently is sort of unimaginable as there are comparatively few worldwide journalists overlaying Afghanistan, whereas the Taliban have closed a whole lot of Afghan media shops. The UN put out a report in June that documented a surge of anti-Taliban attacks throughout the first six months of this 12 months however put the quantity at 29 operations carried out by the Nationwide Resistance Entrance, whereas on the group’s X feed, there are claims of way more operations.
Massoud informed me that “the Taliban’s true victory wasn’t on the battlefield; it was on the negotiating desk,” a withdrawal settlement that was negotiated by then-President Donald Trump’s workforce and carried out by President Joe Biden.
Massoud lives in an undisclosed location in Central Asia directing army operations in Afghanistan from outdoors the nation. We carried out our interview over e mail, and it has been edited for readability.
BERGEN: The Taliban final week banned the sound of women’s voices outdoors of the house. This appears loopy, however the Taliban can do it with impunity. What does this say about their maintain on energy?
MASSOUD: It is a blatant show of ignorance and conceitedness. The Taliban consider they will punish the individuals of Afghanistan, particularly girls, and but they will additionally still gain international recognition. [Today, no government officially recognizes the Taliban, though several governments do have diplomatic relations with them.] This impunity is a direct results of the worldwide neighborhood’s coverage of appeasement of the Taliban over the previous three years. If we hope to see a change within the Taliban’s habits, we should alter our method in direction of them. It’s that easy.
Inside Afghanistan, our technique for resistance is evident. The Taliban solely reply to energy and pressure. Diplomatic engagement with the Taliban has solely emboldened them.
BERGEN: That is the third anniversary of the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan. What are your emotions on this anniversary after 20 years of a US army and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan? Was this a betrayal of America’s Afghan allies?
MASSOUD: The hasty US withdrawal in 2021 triggered us to lose many achievements that we had gained within the final 20 years. Afghanistan had began experiencing social and political transformations that it by no means had earlier than. We had rights like freedom of speech, and a brand new technology, each ladies and men, was on the rise. But we misplaced all of this when the settlement with the Taliban was signed in 2020 and when the withdrawal abruptly occurred in 2021. Now we’re the one nation absolutely managed by terrorists.
BERGEN: What sort of army operations are you finishing up in Afghanistan?
MASSOUD: The Nationwide Resistance Entrance’s army actions began in August 2021 when the Taliban attacked us within the Panjshir Valley [in northern Afghanistan]. Since then, we have now been resisting them. We began from two provinces within the north, but now we have now networks and operations in virtually 20 provinces after three years of enlargement. [There are 34 provinces in Afghanistan.] Our operations for the time being are unconventional and principally guerrilla operations. But, the army wing of the Nationwide Resistance Entrance relies inside Afghanistan, our bases, and our commando items are all within the nation, and as daily passes, we’re growing our recruitment and operational capability.
BERGEN: Are you able to give us a way of the strengths of your Nationwide Resistance Entrance?
MASSOUD: The Nationwide Resistance Entrance’s army wing is solely made up of the remnants of Afghanistan’s former armed forces. These forces joined us as an alternative of abandoning the combat for democracy on August 15, 2021 [when the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital]. Right this moment, we have now greater than 5,000 everlasting forces scattered in some 20 provinces. We’ve got been in a position to improve their capabilities regardless that we aren’t receiving any exterior help. To offer you a way of our power, since January 2024, we have now launched 207 operations across the nation.
BERGEN: Your troopers claimed an attack at Kabul Airport final month. Are you able to describe what occurred?
MASSOUD: Operational safety prevents me from disclosing specifics, however I can guarantee you that this operation and plenty of others reveal the numerous army and intelligence capabilities we’ve developed since 2021. Regardless of the dangers and complexities, our forces, supported by our deep intelligence community throughout the enemy’s ranks, executed the operation exactly.
Additionally, I want to make one thing clear. All our targets are and will likely be army targets. We solely goal the place the Taliban and different terror teams reside and keep away from civilian casualties.
BERGEN: Inform us about the way you grew to become the chief of the anti-Taliban resistance, and are there different resistance teams you’re employed with?
MASSOUD: I began my political efforts again in 2018 by consulting Afghanistan’s individuals. I went to the furthest villages and valleys of Afghanistan, partaking immediately with my individuals to formulate a strategic response to the upcoming US-Taliban deal and withdrawal. On September 5, 2019, I acquired a transparent mandate from our residents, gathered at my father’s mausoleum, to steer an answer to this coming disaster. The important second arrived on August 15, 2021, when my individuals and a few of the former armed forces of Afghanistan established the Nationwide Resistance Entrance of Afghanistan, entrusting me with its leadership. This was not a alternative however a name to obligation that I answered with none hesitation.
BERGEN: You attended Sandhurst, the British equal of West Level, and studied within the Warfare Research division of Kings Faculty, London. Was that useful coaching for what you’re doing now?
MASSOUD: My coaching at Sandhurst and schooling at King’s Faculty offered me with a stable basis. Nevertheless, the burden of real-world battle has been my true academy. The teachings I’ve realized main our resistance these previous few years far surpass any classroom instruction.
BERGEN: You received’t recall this, however I met you once you had been solely round 4 years outdated when CNN was interviewing your father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, within the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan in 1993 throughout the Afghan civil warfare. I used to be very impressed by your father, his extraordinary charisma and his intelligence.
It should have been very tough for you, aged 11 when he was assassinated by al Qaeda assassins two days earlier than 9/11. How has your father’s assassination affected what you’re doing at the moment?
MASSOUD: The video of our first encounter, once you met my father throughout that CNN interview within the Panjshir Valley in 1993, is certainly a part of our historic report. Whereas I want I had been older to completely grasp the gravity of these moments and be taught extra immediately from my father, his legacy has change into the cornerstone of my mission. My father’s assassination by al Qaeda, simply days earlier than 9/11, was a second that formed not simply my household however the course of our nation. As I’ve detailed in my memoir “Within the Identify of My Father,” the affect was profound. Nevertheless, it additionally ignited an unshakeable dedication inside me. At that second, I vowed to proceed his imaginative and prescient for a free and peaceable Afghanistan. His sacrifice wasn’t in useless – it’s the muse upon which we’re constructing Afghanistan’s future. [Disclosure: I wrote the foreword to Massoud’s memoir, which I do not benefit from financially in any manner.]
BERGEN: When the People left Afghanistan three years in the past, they left behind $8.5 billion dollars worth of military equipment, in line with an estimate by the UN. That’s greater than the protection funds of some European nations. Does this make your activity of resisting the Taliban harder?
MASSOUD: The $8.5 billion price of army gear deserted by the People has after all altered the battlefield dynamics, nevertheless it hasn’t dampened our dedication and dedication. Sure, the Taliban at the moment are higher armed than ever earlier than. Nevertheless, army historical past is filled with examples the place dedication and technique overcame materials benefits. The Taliban might have the weapons, however we have now the desire of the individuals – and historical past reveals that’s a much more highly effective pressure.
What’s extra regarding is the Taliban’s transformation of Afghanistan right into a black marketplace for these weapons. We all know that they don’t seem to be simply arming themselves; they’re fueling world terror networks. This isn’t nearly our resistance; it’s about stopping Afghanistan from turning into a nexus of worldwide terrorism.
BERGEN: When your father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was preventing the Taliban earlier than 9/11, he managed some territory inside Afghanistan and might be resupplied from neighboring Tajikistan. You aren’t in Afghanistan, and it’s laborious so that you can provide your forces inside Afghanistan as you management no territory in Afghanistan. You do have a political workplace in Tajikistan, however no different nations help you; how does this lack of help have an effect on your capability to combat the Taliban?
MASSOUD: Our present place differs strategically from my father’s period, however our dedication stays unshaken. Since 2021, we’ve not solely survived however expanded our affect, regardless of minimal exterior help. You will need to emphasize that we’re not simply preventing the Taliban; we’re engaged in a broader battle in opposition to a coalition of regional and world terror teams. When al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban provide fighters to the Taliban, it’s clear that our battle is an extension of the worldwide warfare on terror.
Nevertheless, let me be clear: to defeat these 20 terrorist organizations in Afghanistan threatening world safety, we require worldwide backing. It’s unrealistic to anticipate us to single-handedly neutralize this risk with out sources. Our combat isn’t only for Afghanistan; it’s for world safety. Any nation that perceives terrorism as a risk should acknowledge the strategic necessity of supporting our cause and efforts.
BERGEN: What help do you want?
MASSOUD: We’d like any form of help that may enable us to defeat this group. We consider we have now succesful forces who had been skilled for 20 years to pursue counterterrorism. Because of this, we’re asking for sources as an alternative of overseas forces to liberate our nation.
BERGEN: What do you say to those that say your resistance movement doesn’t have a lot of an opportunity in opposition to the well-armed Taliban and with out monetary and army help from different nations?
MASSOUD: Those that underestimate our resistance fail to know the teachings of Afghanistan’s historical past. Regardless of our present lack of exterior help, we’ve constantly grown in power and numbers. The Taliban might management territory and possess billions in arms, however they lack probably the most essential asset – the help of the individuals of Afghanistan. Our historical past proves that standard legitimacy, not weaponry, determines final victory. Even the communist regime [which controlled Afghanistan from 1979 to 1992], which was far stronger than at the moment’s Taliban, fell resulting from lack of standard help. Our resistance is increasing as a result of we signify and embody the desire of the individuals.
BERGEN: Will the Taliban nonetheless be in cost in Afghanistan a decade from now? If not, why not?
MASSOUD: The Taliban’s grip on Afghanistan is already slipping. Their lack of self-discipline, competence, legitimacy, and inside disunity makes their long-term rule ineffective. We don’t simply hope for his or her downfall – we’re working to make sure it.
In Vienna, Austria, this 12 months we initiated a political process, uniting Afghanistan’s various political and civil teams. This isn’t solely opposition – it’s the muse of a democratic different for Afghanistan’s future. We’re not ready for the Taliban to fail; we’re constructing the system that may exchange them.
The fractures throughout the Taliban are widening. Their implosion just isn’t a matter of if, however when. When that second comes – and it’ll come ahead of many anticipate – we’ll be prepared. The democratic authorities we’re making ready will fill the void, representing all residents and bringing stability to our nation.
A decade from now, Afghanistan received’t simply be freed from Taliban rule – will probably be on the trail to turning into a beacon of democracy within the area. That’s not wishful pondering – it’s our goal.
BERGEN: Has the Taliban created an “inclusive” authorities as they promised?
MASSOUD: The Taliban’s promise of an inclusive authorities has confirmed to be nothing however propaganda. The basically reject the core democratic precept that political legitimacy stems from the desire of the individuals and free elections. Their present energy construction is a sham, with varied factions of their terrorist group vying for management and systematically marginalizing one another.
The very notion that this group might create an inclusive authorities is absurd after they can’t even keep unity inside their very own ranks. Their inside energy struggles and ideological inflexibility make any type of real inclusivity unimaginable. They’ve demonstrated again and again that their solely curiosity is in consolidating energy for his or her extremist imaginative and prescient.
BERGEN: Flawed presidential elections produced flawed Afghan governments. How culpable had been Afghanistan’s leaders like President Ashraf Ghani for what transpired in Afghanistan?
MASSOUD: The federal government of Afghanistan was corrupt and flawed. The failings in Afghanistan’s earlier governments had been systemic and deep-rooted. I constantly opposed these administrations exactly due to their corruption and ineffectiveness.
The foundation of the issue lies within the political system adopted after 2004, which was basically unsuited to Afghanistan’s various demographic actuality. Afghanistan is a extremely various nation with out an ethnic majority. Its structure concentrated extreme energy in Kabul, basically making a presidential monarchy. This centralization was a main issue within the authorities’s weak spot and the marginalization of quite a few communities.
The scenario worsened dramatically throughout Ashraf Ghani’s presidency. His additional centralization of energy, limiting decision-making to solely himself and a small circle of advisors, exacerbated the alienation of enormous segments of our inhabitants.
Recognizing this flaw, I advocated for the decentralization of energy in a 2020 New York Times article. I firmly consider that Afghanistan’s path to peace and stability lies within the distribution of energy. It’s a strategic requirement for constructing a steady, resilient nation that may stand up to inside divisions and exterior threats.
BERGEN: In all of the discussions in regards to the errors made in Afghanistan, typically it’s simple to lose sight of what went proper. Along with the rise of independent media and the supply of schooling to women and jobs for women, what else labored? Packages just like the National Solidarity Programme, which provided small grants for public works to native communities in session with these communities?
MASSOUD: Sure, regardless of challenges and setbacks in Afghanistan, it’s essential to acknowledge the numerous progress made throughout the 20 years after 9/11. The rise of impartial media was a cornerstone of this progress, giving voice to various views and making a extra knowledgeable inhabitants. The enlargement of schooling for women and employment alternatives for ladies had been transformative. Packages just like the Nationwide Solidarity Programme had been significantly efficient.
BERGEN: What was the impact of the Trump administration’s 2020 Doha peace agreement with the Taliban and President Joe Biden announcing in April 2021 that he was going to undergo with the entire US withdrawal?
MASSOUD: The Trump administration’s 2020 Doha cope with the Taliban and President Biden’s later announcement of a complete US withdrawal in April 2021 had detrimental results on Afghanistan’s stability. These selections legitimized the Taliban on the worldwide stage whereas signaling the top of considerable Western help for the federal government of Afghanistan on the identical time.
The Doha settlement, specifically, undermined the morale of our safety forces and authorities officers. It created a way of certainty in regards to the Taliban’s return to energy. Biden’s withdrawal announcement made it worse. It triggered a speedy lack of confidence within the authorities’s capability to face independently. These coverage selections, which sought to finish America’s longest warfare, sacrificed the hard-won progress of 20 years and betrayed the belief of hundreds of thousands of our individuals.
BERGEN: Did the Taliban win on the negotiating desk with the USA, what they couldn’t win on the battlefield from them?
MASSOUD: The Taliban’s true victory wasn’t on the battlefield; it was on the negotiating desk. Previous to the negotiations, their territorial management was restricted. The negotiation course of itself grew to become their launch pad to energy. This diplomatic engagement legitimized a terrorist group. It turned them from insurgents to political actors. Had the US merely withdrawn with out these negotiations, the Taliban wouldn’t be in energy at the moment.
The results had been devastating – it demoralized Afghanistan’s armed forces, normalized relations with terrorists, facilitated the discharge of hundreds of extremists from our prisons, and paved the best way for the autumn of our authorities.
This colossal mistake handed the Taliban a victory they couldn’t obtain by pressure of arms.
BERGEN: This 12 months, you revealed a guide, “Within the Identify of My Father: Struggling For Freedom In Afghanistan.” What was the primary message of the guide?
MASSOUD: My guide is greater than a memoir – it’s a manifesto for Afghanistan’s future and a testomony to our ongoing battle. I lay out my convictions on democracy, girls’s rights and the function of Islam in our society. These are the foundational rules upon which we’re constructing our resistance.
BERGEN: What’s your imaginative and prescient of the longer term? The Taliban management extra of the nation than they did earlier than 9/11. They’re higher armed. They’ve been preventing for 20 years. So, what’s the top aim right here for you?
MASSOUD: Let me be very clear about our imaginative and prescient and finish aim. We’re preventing for a democratic, decentralized and pluralistic Afghanistan the place each citizen, no matter gender, ethnicity or non secular perception, enjoys equal rights. That is our non-negotiable goal.
Sure, the Taliban at the moment management extra territory and are higher armed than earlier than 9/11. However management of land and possession of weapons doesn’t imply respectable governance or standard help.
We’re not simply resisting the Taliban; we’re constructing the muse for a brand new Afghanistan. We’re making a system that’s resilient in opposition to extremism and attentive to the varied wants of all our residents.
Make no mistake – we’re ready for an extended battle. This isn’t only a combat in opposition to the Taliban; it’s a combat for the soul and way forward for our nation, and we’re decided to win, regardless of the percentages.