Why does the mountain Taliban respect Massoud, while the London Taliban hates him?
Author: Abdulqadir Mirzayi
Over the past 25 years, I have never seen a single battle-hardened armed Taliban fighter, a commander of the “Red Unit,” or a frontline Taliban fighter insult Ahmad Shah Massoud. On the contrary, in their own recollections, they have always spoken of him with respect.
Why, then, does the tie-wearing Taliban living in the West view him differently?
The answer should be sought in Massoud’s own character.
— Steadfastness and courage: a man who never learned how to lose
Massoud is the only military commander in Afghanistan’s modern history to have stood against two superpowers. He tied down the Soviet Union, with all its military might, in Panjshir and later kept the armed Taliban at the gates of Panjshir for five years. An armed Taliban fighter who has experienced war himself understands what it means to hold out in a single valley, with virtually empty hands, first against the Red Army and then against an army tens of thousands strong. Respect between soldiers is an unwritten law of war. That is why a Taliban fighter who has actually fought does not insult Massoud: he knows the value of courage.
But the tie-wearing Taliban who has seen war only on a television screen cannot comprehend such courage.
— Integrity and clean hands: something even his enemies could not tarnish
For 30 years, Massoud’s enemies tried to find even a single piece of evidence of corruption, a private house abroad, or a bank account belonging to him — and they found none. While serving as the commander of Panjshir and Afghanistan’s defense minister, he lived in a mud-brick house in Khwaja Bahauddin. Even Pakistani generals wrote in their books: “Massoud was the only leader who could not be bought.”
An armed Taliban fighter, sick and tired of the corruption of those very Kabul-based “Taliban in ties,” is capable of understanding such incorruptibility. But for people like Shukria Barakzai and others like her, for whom politics is a business, a leader who cannot be bought represents a threat.
— Patriotism: the man who did not sell Afghanistan to Pakistan
This was precisely what set Massoud apart from all other leaders. He was repeatedly offered a deal: recognize the Durand Line, and all of Pakistan would stand behind him. He refused. He was asked to fight at the behest of the ISI — he refused. One of his best-known statements is: “Even if you take all of Afghanistan, if you do not stop Pakistan’s interference, we will continue to fight.”
An armed Taliban fighter, although he may hold Taliban views, is still an Afghan, and deep in his heart he can feel this patriotism. But the tie-wearing Taliban, with a second passport in his pocket and his children’s future tied to London and Washington, dislikes patriotism because it undermines the marketplace of his political bargaining.
— A compelling personality and charisma: a leader who grew larger after death
Massoud was not merely a commander — he was a school of thought. With his short beard, his smiling face, and a book in the trenches, he presented the world with the image of an enlightened Muslim — an image the West never wanted to see. That is why, in the 25 years since his death, his stature has continued to grow with each passing day.
The armed Taliban fighter regards him as an honorable adversary. But the tie-wearing Taliban hates him because Massoud’s charisma shuts down the shop selling the image of “violent Islam and the Afghan terrorist” — an image these people market in the West.
In conclusion:
The battle-hardened Taliban saw Massoud in the mirror of his own weapon — and came to respect him.
The tie-wearing Taliban saw Massoud in the mirror of his masters’ interests — and fears him.
September 9, 2026