1988 or 1989? When was Ahmad Massoud born?
Ahmad Massoud, leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front, was born in 1988, not 1989.
DUSHANBE, July 11 - Sangar, Firdavs Nizam. However, supporters of the Resistance Front this year congratulated him on his 34th birthday.
A year ago, Sangar wrote in an article that Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the National Hero of Afghanistan, was born on July 10, 1988 (Tir (Saraton) 19, 1367) in the village of Piyu, Varsaj district, Takhar province (Democratic Republic of Afghanistan).
But this year, Resistance Front supporters congratulated him on his 35th birthday on social media. Perhaps this is a mistake due to the fact that in all Internet sources, the year of his birth is indicated as 1989.
None of the relatives, friends, and close persons of Ahmad Massoud's father could tell "Sangar" what year he was born, because only a few of his mother's relatives knew about his birth, and close relatives of Ahmad Shah Massoud himself, including his father, found out about the new guest in his family only a year later.
These details are explained in a book by Siddiqa Massoud, mother of Ahmad Massoud, which was published under the title My Life with Massoud. In this book, she clearly states that his son Ahmad was born in the summer of 1367 in the Solar calendar or in 1988 in the Gregorian calendar.
According to Ms. Massoud, Ahmad Shah Massoud came to visit his son from Panjshir to Piyu of Takhar 20 days after his birth, and after his return to the front, a Soviet air raid followed.
Siddiqa Massoud writes: “For several months there was no news of the bombing raids. Fifteen days after my husband's arrival, the air attacks began so violently and suddenly that we had to run into the caves and hide. We didn't even have time to take anything with us. We have been informed that the Soviets have become aware of our existence, and now that they have become aware of the presence of my husband and child, they will not leave us alone.”
On the other hand, the fact that the Soviet Union troops left Afghanistan on February 15, 1989, confirms the truth of Ahmad Massoud's mother's words. If we accept that the leader of the Resistance Front was born in the summer of 1989, then this means that Ahmad Massoud was born almost six months after the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
Thus, taking into account two arguments: firstly, the history of Ahmad Massoud's mother, and secondly, the date of the exit of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, we can conclude that the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, Ahmad Massoud, was born in 1988, not 1989.
The Sangar Advisory Council congratulates the esteemed Ahmad Massoud on his 36th birthday and wishes him good health and success in his historic mission.