The Blood Rep: When Abdullah Azzam met Ahmed Shah Massoud
A translation extract of Abdullah Azzam's 'The Titans of the North' with my annotations
Abdullah Azzam has been seen as the father of global jihad both by analysts and indeed al-Qaeda itself. Al-Qaeda and Jihadis of all varieties, claim him to be their founding father. What is interesting is that Azzam did not view those who al-Qaeda viewed as its enemies, in the same light.
One such figure is the Afghan commander Ahmed Shah Massoud. According to the likes of Western journalist Peter Bergen, Massoud is arguably the most “brilliant military strategist of the twentieth century, surviving six major Soviet operations”. Bergen found him to have an intense “charisma and integrity”. He described him as a “fundamentalist” leavened by an interest in the arts, poetry, sufism and an openness towards other cultures- the very opposite of Osama Bin Laden.
This impression that Massoud made on Bergen is not unique. This is something that I found whilst researching To The Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan. I have found this to be the case not just in western accounts of him, but also in Muslim accounts. However, it has to be said that Massoud’s reputation following the civil war in 90s, diminished somewhat, especially amongst the Pakhtoons. Many of his men are alleged to have committed gross human rights violations on the civilian population. An example of this is the Afshar massacre in 19931.
Still, the father of global jihad, Abdullah Azzam, was enamoured with Massoud. This in spite of the foundational myth of al-Qaeda, where Massoud is often portrayed as a traitor and an enemy of Islam- the Anakin Skywalker of the Afghan Jihad. He is therefore, someone worthy of assassination. This is something they succeeded in doing. He was killed a few days before 9/11.
It is important to shatter some of these myths for historical accuracy. Below is a translated extract of Abdullah Azzam’s book: ‘A Month Amongst the Titans of the North’. It is an account of Azzam’s visit to Northern Afghanistan, where he met Ahmed Shah Massoud and others. I make this available to you as a paid member, and as a prelude to the release of To The Mountains in paperback this coming spring.
The book allegedly could not get published in Peshawar in 1989 due to the opposition of one of Massoud’s rivals, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and remained largely ignored. Yet this primary source certainly helps to clarify the many misconceptions regarding the relationship between Abdullah Azzam, Massoud, al-Qaeda and the rise of the global jihad movement.
What becomes immediately clear in the extract is that Abdullah Azzam dedicates a lot of time interviewing Massoud. He clearly considers him an example of an idealised Mujahid and an expert in guerrilla warfare.
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