His uncle was a legendary warrier and had died fighting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Zubair Massoud, the nephew of Northern Alliance Commander-in-chief Ahmad Shah Massoud, graduated from the National Defence Academy (NDA) on Friday. He plans to join the Afghan army to carry forward his uncle’s fight against Taliban terror groups in his motherland.
Ahmad Shah Massoud spent his life fighting the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. Following the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah joined the opposition as a political and military leader. He was killed in a suicide bombing in 2001.
Zubair wants to take his uncle’s fight ahead to exterminate the Taliban from Afghanistan.
“My uncle has been my only inspiration. I decided to join NDA so that I can go back and join the armed forces to fight against Taliban,” Zubair told dna.
Zubair will join the Afghanistan army and the occasion will coincide with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2014. He wishes that India should provide the helping hand to Afghanistan to fight against terrorism. He said, “The Indian and Afghan armies should undertake joint military exercises. The Indian Army has the experience of fighting against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and our forces can learn from them.”
Zubair’s father Ahmad Ziya Massoud, the leader of opposition in Afghanistan, also attended the graduation ceremony.
Speaking to dna, Ahmad Ziya Massoud said, “I am happy that my son is passing out from India’s most prestigious defence academy.”
“India can play a major role in the peace process of Afghanistan. We have a armed force of 3,00,000 soldiers and we expect India’s support in providing equipment and training for our forces.”
