Ahmad Shah Massoud's views - part 3 - his views on literature and philosophy
This is the third part of Ahmad Shah Massoud's views, which is a rare interview of him discussing culture, literature and philosophy among other topics. The first part of Ahmad Shah Massoud's views with a full analysis of them can be read here. The second part of Ahmad Shah Massoud's views with a full analysis of them can be read here.
The interview was given by Massoud on 30 July 1996 to Bob McKerrow. Bob McKerrow has lived in Afghanistan for almost four years. First in 1976 and again from 1993 to late 1996. After explaining in detail the book he was writing at the time called “Afghanistan: Mountains of our Mind”, McKerrow asked Commander Massoud if he would answer some questions which would assist him with his book. He gladly agreed. Here are extracts from the interview.
Bob McKerrow: Where did you get your knowledge of using the mountains as a place to fight the Soviets from?
Ahmad Shah Massoud: The failed uprising in 1973 ( a coup
against Doud in 1973) helped me understand the mountain terrain of Kunar and
Laghman. I left the Panjshir when I was 20, and about 24 during the failed
uprising. Living in the Panjshir as a boy I walked in the mountains a lot and
gained much experience.
McKerrow: You frequently crossed passes in winter. Did you
see people die of exposure, avalanches etc.?
Massoud: I saw many people die of cold, exhaustion and
avalanches. Frostbite was common.
McKerrow: Did you use the mountains as a weapon, a friend or
what?
Massoud: The mountains are the best base to fight from. They
are both a stronghold and a shelter. It is the best terrain for Guerilla
fighting.
McKerrow: I have noticed that when I travel in the
mountains, most of the people are uneducated and most know little or can quote
little from the Koran but can quote from memory for hours or days the poems
written by the Afghan/Persian poets who were clearly Sufi influenced. Do you
think I am right?
Massoud: You have discovered something unique there,
(laughter) you are probably right.
McKerrow: In most cultures people worship mountains, such as the annual Nowruz festival in Mazar, which worships the snow. What feeling do you get when you look at the mountains?
Massoud: Mountains remind me of the past. When I see the
mountains, I have love in my heart. When I am in Kabul, I feel surrounded and
bored. But when I see the Hindu Kush, a new horizon opens up.
McKerrow: If you could choose to live anywhere in
Afghanistan, where would it be?
Massoud: The Panjshir.
McKerrow: When Ahmed Shah Durrani was living in Delhi, he
wrote a very moving poem about missing the mountains of Afghanistan. When you
travel do you miss the mountains?
Massoud: Yes, I have the same feeling as Ahmed Shah Durrani
expressed in his poem.
McKerrow: There is a saying in Latin, “Montani Semper
Liberi”, which means “mountaineers are always free”. Perhaps it could equally
be applied to Afghanistan?
Massoud: I like that expression. We have a saying in Dari
that if there is a dispute in the city between Afghans, the weaker one gets
killed. If one is in the mountains no one can catch him.
Let me tell you a story. One of my bodyguards, Miraj, was a
tough man of the mountains. He died in Takhar during a major offensive. Sandy
Gall filmed him die. The film was called Agony of a Nation. Well, Miraj used to
walk from the Panjshir, over a pass to Nejrab, to buy a 70 kg bag of wheat and
walk back home over the mountains with it on his back. This was more than a
20-hour journey and he never stopped to rest. I doubt a professional
mountaineer is able to walk on the mountains like we do because we know them so
well. Often, Afghan mountaineers wake up in the middle of the night and walk
over the mountains
McKerrow: One thing Dari and Pashto speaking poets have in
common is their poems express that same intense love of the mountains. Do you
agree?
Massoud: Yes, there is a common love of the mountains by all
Afghan, regardless of race.
McKerrow: During my writing I have discovered that
Afghanistan has had three great mountain men. The first was Alexander the
Great, the Babur, who wrote a chapter in his book Baburnama on the mountains of
Afghanistan, and yourself. What is your view?
Massoud: They all knew the mountains intimately. I have read Baburnama, and agree he knew the mountains well. One of the great factors for a leader is how to use the mountains as a strong hold, as a shelter. During the war against the Soviets, we needed to capture the Hindu Kush from the Pamirs to the Kohi Baba and all the mountains north and south of the range. The mountains were useful, we needed to know them well.
Before you leave, I want to thank you. The Red Cross, led by
you, has done great work for the people of Afghanistan. When the UN closed its
offices during the heavy fighting in Kabul, the Red Cross stayed here. I tell
people of the UN you should have stayed here like the Red Cross.
Our allies admired the country when we fought against the
Soviets, but the same countries (who supported Afghanistan against the
Soviets), gave us negative publicity (after the war was over).
Thank you for writing your book on Afghanistan. I urge you to translate it into Dari.
Related videos:
Ahmad Shah Massoud's Short Biography
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Russian president Vladimir Putin talked about Ahmad Shah Massoud's assassination
Ahmad Shah Massoud warns the world of terrorist attack before 9/11 attacks happened
Ahmad Shah Massoud warns USA of terrorist attack before 9/11 attacks happened
Ahmad Shah Massoud on Taliban's ideology
Ahmad Shah Massoud on all-Afghan resistance against Taliban
Ahmad Shah Massoud's military tactic
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