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Not a corner without his immortal face. There is neither a checkpoint, nor rear moon nor bazaar stall where the iconic image does not appear, a sort of Che Guevara in a pakul beige hat, of the murdered guerrilla leader Ahmad Shah Masud. Known as the 'Lion of the Panshir', for having done that northern enclave - translated as 'Valley of the Five Lions' - impregnable for his enemies, his worship as a national hero and martyr is, today, the only political consensus among the majority of Afghans

"I adore him. He was a real man," says Yavad, a Kabulite kid who has decorated his shabby red car with a large Masud sticker on the rear window. "He was able to defend our country from both the Soviets and the Taliban , not like the leaders of now," he laments. And yet, in this election campaign there has been no candidate for president who has not included an image and a quote from the 'Lion of Panshir' in his propaganda. Almost everyone wants to look like him. Even his blood. Ahmad, his only son, imitates his photogenic style and aspires to lead a successor movement.

"I see him as someone who belongs to every Afghan. They like it, they love it, they feel it deep inside," says Ahmad Wali Masud, candidate for the Presidency of Afghanistan and younger brother of the warlord. "For many he was a good Muslim. Others see him as a heroic figure, who resisted first against the Russian invasion in the twentieth century and the terrorists in the twenty-first, completing 23 years of uninterrupted armed struggle."

"He had a special inner strength. Only then could he live as he did," Wali Masud recalls. "I read about everything, also about Che. He told me: 'Che is brilliant, but each country has a different context in which to fight.' He was a visionary. To the point," he continues, "that 19 years, during our visit to the European Parliament, he told a US delegation: "I cannot allow you to enter my country. If you do, you will turn it into a territory of great rivalries. No one will tolerate it. My people will be killed. Many terrorists will come." Do you see what happens today? " The brother continues: "Shortly after, walking together through the halls of the Europarliament, Ahmad approaches me and says: 'You know? I don't see much security around here.' No, it's true, but why do you ask? I said, 'Because I know they are going to kill me,' he replied. "

The attack on Ahmad Shah Masud, five months after almost prophesying , was the first sign that the world was entering a new era. It happened just two days before the fall of the Twin Towers. Two jihadists, posing as journalists, killed him by detonating bombs hidden inside the fake photographic equipment. The images of the mass burial in the throats of the Panshir still move their own and strangers.

The al Qaeda hitmen killed the man, but enlightened the myth . In the 80s, Ahmad Shah Masud had led a resistance movement that, from the hidden Panshir Valley, managed to push back the Soviet and Afghan communist convoys. Once he succeeded, he launched himself into the persecution of the Red Army throughout Afghanistan. His effective strategy of asymmetric warfare and a disciplined system of government allowed him, despite having less American support than the extremist mujahideen, to grow in influence and control.

The collapse of the Soviet Union brought the fragmentation of power in Afghanistan. The era of the warlords began, and the Lion of Panshir, a moderate Islamist of Tajik ethnicity, would be one of them, although he would stain his hands with less blood than the rest. Although his alliances allowed him access to power, his commitment to a multi-ethnic power shared with other leaders, and the refusal of some of them to this route, led to the savage war of the 90s , which had as its epicenter Kabul and, as turning point, the entry into the capital of the Taliban, strongly supported by neighboring Pakistan.

Ahmad Shah Masud, who failed in his efforts to mediate and provide a stable government to Afghanistan, was held in the northeastern quarter of the country, where he founded the Northern Alliance, which in 2001, after his death, would be key during the US offensive that It ended the fundamentalist regime. "Why did the terrorists kill him?" Asks Ahmad Wali Masud. "Because, despite controlling much less territory than them, he had managed to control the hearts and minds of all Afghans."

The laborious vote count begins

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After an election day described as "successful" by the Independent Electoral Board, appealing to the operation of the security apparatus and the absence of significant incidents during the voting, the slow counting process begins. Among exceptional measures, the polls are being transferred to the capital from the most remote places in the country, some still incommunicado.

Security sources have told the Afghan channel TOLOnews that Saturday's elections, threatened by the Taliban, ended up leaving 20 policemen and nine civilians dead , in 260 violent incidents. In terms of participation, apparently lower than in previous appointments, it is estimated that it is around 26% of the 9.6 million registered voters - in turn, 27% of the Afghan population.

The preliminary result is scheduled to be announced on October 17. The officer, on November 7. After the vote, a period of political instability is feared, caused by eventual disputes between candidates, the persistent Taliban threat and the US attempts to find a solution for his band, which goes through its withdrawal in the country, as Donald wishes Trump If none of the candidates exceeds 50% of votes, it will be necessary to decide the Presidency in a second round.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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