Afghan Resistance Leader Massoud Rallies Troops at Panjshir Stronghold

The leader of a group of anti-Taliban resistance fighters addressed his followers at the site of his father Ahmad Shah Massoud’s tomb in Afghanistan’s northeastern Panjshir province in mid-August.

This footage shows resistance leader Ahmad Massoud addressing dozens of men wielding rifles and other weapons as they stand in the courtyard of the tomb of Massoud’s father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, a military commander who was assassinated by A- Qaeda in 2001.

Ahmad Massoud leads a resistance group, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, that opposes the Taliban’s takeover of most of the country. Panjshir is the stronghold from which they operate, having recently reclaimed parts of Baghlan from the Taliban, according to Reuters.

Massoud wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post asking for support from “America and its democratic allies”, citing them as the resistance’s “only hope” to overcome the Taliban.

The source of this video, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Storyful they had traveled to Panjshir to support the resistance efforts. The source said the people of Panjshir were armed and ready if proposed peace talks with the Taliban were not fruitful, but said they believed the people of Afghanistan did not want a war. Credit: Anonymous via Storyful