#CheGuevara was killed in Bolivia some 54 years ago today. #AhmadShahMassoud and Che were both formidable guerilla commanders. They had so much in common and yet so different in ideology. They both fought for what they believed was right and a just cause for their people.
They were from different backgrounds and cultures. One was fighting for communism, whilst the other against communism. Che was jaguar of the jungle whilst Massoud was the snow leopard of the mountains. Both were charasmatic and deeply respected for their abilities on the field
Had they met- there would have been no need for a translator. They would have understood each others language. The language of taking on a far superior force with limited resources, but the might of your people behind you. The language of #GuerrillaWarfare. Men of the field!
When I joined the #AfghanArmy, I served alongside many different nationalities from NATO. My English wasn't very good, but we understood each other. You don't need to speak each others language to conduct a joint operation. You just have to point on the map and then to the field.
Che is not very well known in #Afghanistan, but we know him very well in these mountains. We were discussing how he would have coped with with Russians in the 80s had he been in Afghanistan. Would he have been as successful as Massoud against the might of the red army.
We all came to the same conclusion. Che would have struggled in our rugged mountains and similarly Massoud would have found it difficult in the Americas. A cigar smoking south American would have found it difficult to adapt to our conservative culture and traditional lifestyle.
At one time Che travelled to #Africa to spread his revolutionary ideas. It was a disastrous attempt and a complete failure. He kept mentioning the cultural differences as the decisive factor in his failure to put down the roots of his revolutionary ideas in Africa.
You see my friends, a guerrilla war can only succeed when it's lead by men who understand the terrain, culture and language of the people. He must be born into that culture and terrain. It's the people that will decide the faith of a Guerrilla war. It's success or it's failure!
Although Che is well known around the word, it was #Massoud who had the biggest impact on world events. He was partially responsible for the collapse of USSR . He faced a far more formidable enemy in Afghanistan than Che faced in Cuba and Bolivia. The formidable #RedArmy.
For 9 years the best units of the Red Army was hunting him in the mighty Hindu Kush. For 9 years he sent them rolling down the mountains. He defeated a modern army and toppled a superpower. Che faced a moderate opponent in the Cuban government and a few #CIA guy's in Bolivia
I like Commander #Che. I wonder what kind of a man he was in real life. I agree with him on certain points. Nothing good has come out of communism, but nothing good has come out of Capitalism either. One is oppression of everyone, while the other is oppression of the poor alone.
Many young men have joined the resistance. Sometimes we joke and point to these young men and say "You could be the next Massoud or Che". The men just laugh and walk away with expression of shyness. Massoud started his struggles when he was of similar age. #Resistance2
My comparison is from a military point of view. As a guerilla commanders to be more specific! I will leave the politics and ethics for you to decide!
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#LastStand - According to our calculations, #Panjshir would have fallen in the beginning of October had we made a last stand. Our ammunitions and fuel supplies would have lasted until around this time. I am glad the commanders who were in favour of a last stand were pushed aside
The reason why the resistance is still active is because of the withdrawal. There would have been no ambushes and no resistance had we made a stand. This allowed the leadership to move to other provinces to ignite the flames of resistance.
Withdrawal is the reason why we have resistance in our province. It is the reason why there is resistance in the surrounding provinces. We carried the flames of resistance from #PanjshirValley to our own valleys throughout the mighty Hindu Kush.
#TheAlternative - Taliban are made of several extremists groups. They are like a supermarket of extremism. If you are an extremist, you don't need to create your own special group. You can easily find a group within the Taliban franchise. From school bombing groups to lesser evil
There was no such group as ISIS-K in Afghanistan until this September. If you are an extremist who share the values of ISIS, you could easily find yourself a group within the Taliban to join.
The people who financed the Taliban are the same people who are financing ISIS-K now.
In 2017 when #Trump dropped the mother of all bombs in Nangarhar province, the Americans didn't even bother check the damage it caused. The bomb wasn't dropped to kill or damage tunnel networks of ISIS-K, it was meant to serve the ego of the president. The mother of all ego's!
#MansouriBattalion is the suicide battalion of Taliban. Their creation is not new. They have been operating for the last 12 years or more. They were recruited to target high value targets (HVT). They were responsible for most of green on blue attacks targeting NATO personal.
They are deployed at #Tajikistan border. In the event of a war, they will be heading for Tajik cities, not blowing up themselves Infront of border guards.
These guys are fanatics. There is a brainwashed human then there is a rebooted human. These guys are programmed for one task
We captured a member of this battalion when his vest failed. That's how we discovered the battalion's existence. It was a privilege to meet him. I say privilege, because you don't usually meet these guys in one piece. Both of you are in pieces by the time he reveals his identity!
#Dislaaf - The first transaction of the day between a shopkeeper and a customer is called Dislaaf. The shopkeeper will usually give you a discount and upon taking the money he will say "Bismillah" (In the name of God). This is meant to bring you good fortune. #Afghanistan
A few days back I went to a shop to buy something. This was late in the evening. As I paid the shopkeeper, I heard him say the word "Bismillah. I knew this was his Dislaaf. A shopkeeper should make his Dislaaf within an hour of opening his shop, not so late in the evening.
My friends, the economic situation is going from bad to worse. The money has simply dried up. It's like someone collected all the money from Afghanistan and vanished. #AshrafGhani and his gang took some, but they couldn't have taken all the money. Money is as valuable us gold now
#Ambush - My friends, a military ambush is when you come out from behind the rocks and surprise your enemy. It's no different to when you hide behind a tree trunk or a wall to scare your friends. Your friend might slap you for making him jump, but on the field it's more deadly!
In an ambush you hold all the cards. You can choose the location suitable for the ambush, you can choose your target and even the time. Sometimes our friends show up late to their appointment, but that doesn't bother us. As long as they show up, we are happy!
During one of our recent encounters, the Taliban convoy stopped in the middle of the kill zone. They were outraged for being ambushed. They have become so arrogant that they don't respect us anymore. Unfortunately, that's the last time he will stop his truck anywhere #Resistance2
#Peace & #Oppression -
I traveled through a few provinces in the north. We do have peace! You can not deny this. There is no more firing, there is no more bombing, people are no longer nervous about going outside. No kidnapping and you don't have to bribe the officials anymore.
This peace was not achieved through a handshake on a table and there was no celebrations on the streets. This is an uneasy peace imposed on our people through oppression. We only achieved this peace when our oppressors stopped firing. Unfortunately, this is a unsustainable peace.
#Talibans have always been a one Policy government. They are obsessed with security. Hanging, beating, shouting and humiliation is common on the streets. Any nation can bring crime levels to zero with this methods, but will they still be called a civilized nation!