'Will not surrender to Taliban,' says Afghan hero Ahmad Shah Massoud's son

Dubai: The son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was one of the main leaders of Afghanistan`s anti-Soviet resistance in the 1980s, said he will not surrender areas under his control to the Taliban, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying on Sunday (August 22).

Ahmad Massoud called for a comprehensive government to rule the country with the participation of the Taliban, adding that war will be "unavoidable" if the Taliban refuse dialogue, the TV channel said.

Massoud said government forces opposed to the Taliban have rallied from different provinces and gathered in his stronghold, the Panjshir valley. He also called for aid from those in France, Europe, America, and the Arab world, who he said helped them in their fight against the Soviets and then against the Taliban 20 years ago. 

“I ask: Will you, dear friends in freedom, assist us once more, as in the past? Despite the betrayal of some, we still have confidence in you. We Afghans find ourselves in the situation of Europe in 1940. Except in Panjshir, the debacle is near total, and the spirit of collaboration with the Taliban is spreading among the vanquished, who lost this war by their own failings. Only we remain standing. And we will never yield,” he said.

In a Washington Post opinion piece published on Thursday, he appealed to the West for support.

(With agency inputs)