Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 the forces of resistance were disparate and divided mujahideen groups as interested in fighting each other and competing for Western arms as opposing the Russians. The exception was Ahmed Shah Massoud the military strategist and political operator who solidified the resistance and undermined the Russian occupation by leading its members to a series of defensive victories. Sandy Gall was embedded with Massoud during Soviet offences and reported on the war in Afghanistan for a number of years. He has now written an illuminating biography of this ch arismatic guerrilla commander which contains excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud's diaries. Massoud's prolific diary-keeping was little known during his lifetime and his entries detail crucial moments in his life and throw fascinating light on his struggles both in the resistance and in his personal life. Born into an ostensibly liberalising Afghanistan in the 1960s Massoud ardently opposed communism and Mohammed Daoud Afghanistan's puppet leader. He quickly rose to prominence and distinguished himself by coordinating the defence of the Panjshir Valley against repeated Soviet offensives. As the occupation wore on Massoud became the resistance's unifying force. Massoud's assassination in 2001 presaged the attack on the Twin Towers just two days later and it is widely believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Forever the underdog in a life dominated by conflict Massoud's attempts to build political consensus in Afghanistan were ultimately frustrated. Despite that he is recognised today as a national hero.