Ahmad Shah Massoud The son of police commander Dost Mohammad Khan was born on September 2, 1953 in the Jangalak district of Panjsher - Parwan, Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah Massoud was a Kabul University engineering student of Polytechnic Institute for Engineering and Architecture. But after the occupation of Afghanistan by Red Soviet Army, later he left his higher university education and turned military leader who played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, earning him the nickname "Lion of Panjsher". The Red Army was vanquished in Panjsher eight times between 1358 -1367 (1979 1988) and Massoud was the chief military commander of Afghanistan in Panjsher over all other regions. His followers call him Amir Sahib Shahid (Our Martyred Commander). An ethnic Tajik, Massoud was a moderate of the anti-Soviet resistance leaders.

Massoud had strong will and beaming face, speaking less. Since his childhood, he was considered exceedingly talented; from 10th grade on his school acknowledged his being a particularly gifted student. His native tongue was Dari/Persian, but he was also fluent in French, Pashto and English. Furthermore, he had a good working knowledge of the Arabic language. Massoud had many interests, which he could not spend any more time on later. His favourite sports were soccer, horse riding, swimming and Karate. His humble, open-minded, and disciplined character made him not only popular but also a natural leader among his many friends. Massoud: "We lived in Karte Parwan, Kabul, where I had some very good friends. We were about 50 to 60 people. At that time I was in 7th grade at the Lycée Isteqlaal High School, where I was in charge of the team." He was also the dedicated coach for a soccer team, which was composed mostly of his friends from Karte Parwan, Kabul. Moreover, he was a passionate chess player and reader. As capabilities of war in the early days of his resistance in wars against occupiers Massoud became one of the most brilliant military strategists of his era, and most charismatic leaders of the second half of the twentieth century.

Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet-backed government of Mohammad Najibullah, Massoud became the Defense Minister in 1992 under the government of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. Following the collapse of Rabbani's government and the rise of the Taliban in 1996, Massoud returned to the role of an armed opposition leader, serving as the military commander of the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (known previously as the Northern Alliance). On September 9, 2001, two days before the September 11 attacks in the United States, Massoud was assassinated in Takhar Province of Afghanistan by suspected al-Qaeda agents posing as journalists. The following year, he was named "National Hero" of Afghanistan. The date of his death, September 9, is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan, known as "Massoud Day." The year following his assassination, in 2002, Massoud was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Massoud was a natural leader of men. He was clear sighted yet visionary. He was a man of true piety. While at war, he prayed for peace. While in the midst of destruction, he dreamed of rebuilding. While his hope for Afghanistan was one of liberation and democracy for all people, he was realistic about politics, diplomacy, and cultural and religious influences.

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