Two anti-Taliban fronts vow to continue armed struggle
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Freedom Front, in separate statements marking the 25th anniversary of Ahmad Shah Massoud’s assassination, have said they will continue armed struggle against the Taliban administration. Alongside commemorating Massoud, the two fronts emphasised the continuation of military and political resistance against the Taliban administration.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the National Resistance Front described Massoud’s assassination as a “horrific crime” by the Taliban in collusion with al Qaeda. The front said it would continue its struggle until “the occupation is dismantled and resistance is maintained against the enemy.”
The front also described Ahmad Shah Massoud as a symbol of national resistance and the shared aspiration of a nation. In its statement, the National Resistance Front stressed continuing his path and ideas against those it called “enemies.”
The Afghanistan Freedom Front also referred to the situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, saying fundamental freedoms of citizens had been suppressed and half of society had been deprived of the most basic human rights. The front added that fighting the Taliban does not mean opposing any ethnic group or language.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front also referred to the resilience of its forces in the Zibak district of Badakhshan province, and stressed the need for understanding and alignment among political and social forces over the basic principles of the future system. In its statement, the front wrote that Ahmad Shah Massoud stood against the Taliban at a time when, it said, the world had not yet properly understood the real danger of terrorism and extremism.
Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of Afghanistan’s prominent military and political figures. He was assassinated on Sept. 18, 2001, two days before the Sept. 11 attacks. In Afghanistan’s political lexicon, his name is linked to resistance against the Taliban and al Qaeda.
