- Title: AFGHANISTAN: FUNERAL TAKES PLACE FOR ANTI-TALEBAN WARLORD AHMAD SHAH MASOOD.
- Date: 17th September 2001
- Summary: JANGALAK, PANJSHER VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN (SEPTEMBER 16, 2001) (REUTERS- ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/GV/PAN: CARS PACKED WITH PEOPLE DRIVING TOWARDS JANGALAK VILLAGE TO ATTEND AHMAD SHAH MASOOD FUNERAL (3 SHOTS) 0.42 2. GV: AFGHAN PEOPLE HANGING OUT BLACK FLAGS AND MASOOD'S PORTRAITS/ TANK BURIED IN SAND (3 SHOTS) 0.59 3. GV/MV: CROWD ON THE CENTRAL SQUARE OF JANGALAK WAITING FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE FUNERAL CEREMONY / PRESIDENT RABBANI AND MASOOD'S 13-YEAR-OLD SON STANDING IN THE FIRST ROW (3 SHOTS) 1.28 4. VARIOUS: HELICOPTER CARRYING MASOOD'S COFFIN LANDING/ ONLOOKERS/ COFFIN BEING TAKEN OUT OF HELICOPTER (9 SHOTS) 2.37 5. VARIOUS: ARMED FIGHTERS OF THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE CHANTING "DEATH TO PAKISTAN" AND "DEATH TO OSAMA BIN LADEN"/ COFFIN PASSING BY/ VARIOUS CHANTING/ PORTRAIT OF MASOOD (6 SHOTS) 3.45 6. GV/LV: ROAD TO THE CEMETERY, CROWD OF PEOPLE WALKING TOWARDS THE CEMETERY/ VARIOUS OF MOURNING/ MASOOD'S SON WATCHING (8 SHOTS) 5.05 7. GV/ZOOM OUT/PAN: HELICOPTER FLYING OVERHEAD ZOOM OUT TO WIDE OF SCENE 5.28 8. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) BURHANUDDIN RABBANI, POLITICAL LEADER OF OPPOSITION ALLIANCE, SAYING THAT HIS COUNTRY LOST NOT ONLY A GREAT FIGHTER, BUT A GREAT LEADER AND A GREAT SON OF ITS PEOPLE 5.59 9. CU/MV: MASOOD'S SON (3 SHOTS) 6.23 10. AV: VARIOUS OF CEMETERY FROM HELICOPTER 6.30 PANJSHER, HINDU KUSH AND TAKHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - MAY 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. GV/GV/PAN/MV: VETERAN GUERRILLA COMMANDER AHMAD SHAH MASOOD BRIEFING HIS MEN/ MASOOD LEAVING BRIEFING TO GO AND VIEW FRONTLINE/ MASOOD SHAKING HANDS WITH MEN/ MASOOD GETTING INTO CAR (3 SHOTS) 7.01 PANJSHER, HINDU KUSH AND TAKHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - MAY 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12. GV/LV/PAN/CU: VARIOUS OF MASOOD SURVEYING THE HINDU KUSH/ MASOOD VIEWING AREA THROUGH BINOCULARS (3 MSHOTS) 7.25 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JANGALAK, PANJSHER VALLEY, VARIOUS LOCATIONS, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Reuters ID: LVA7Y1TRBHJDYL0QCPXA4Q8AJ38M
- Story Text: The military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern
Alliance Ahmad Shah Masood has been buried in the territory
held by the anti-Taliban opposition forces.
The 48-year-old Masood, the "Lion of the Panjsher" and
Afghanistan's legendary guerrilla leader was buried near his
home village on Sunday amid scenes of intense grief and calls
for revenge.
Afghanistan's anti-Taliban opposition, the Northern
Alliance, has moved swiftly to appoint a successor to Masood.
Mohammad Fahim, a senior alliance official, has taken over
military command from the legendary Masood.
Masood, military leader of the Northern Alliance, was
officially declared dead on Saturday after being wounded in an
assassination attempt on September 9.
On Sunday (September 16) thousands of mourners gathered in
an open space in the village of Jangalak in the heart of the
Panjsher Valley, Masood's military stronghold.
Every car in the area bore a picture of Masood with the
inscription: "Masood the Hero, you are the pride of every
Afghan. Your death has broken our hearts. We are going to
follow your ways."
Masood's 13-year-old son, also called Ahmad, appeared
before them, a picture of calm and dignity.
"I want to follow the path of my father and to pursue the
independence of my country," he said as men around him wept.
Burhanuddin Rabbani, official leader of the Northern
Alliance for which Masood provided the muscle, blamed Masood's
death on the Taliban and their supporters in Pakistan.
"The Taliban are under the control of (exiled Saudi-born
militant) Osama bin Laden and Pakistan. Such people will be
eradicated at once if God is willing," he said.
Masood's body then arrived by helicopter and was loaded
onto a gun carriage as mourners pushed and struggled to get
near their hero.
Thousands followed the body in brilliant sunshine down the
valley which, under Masood, has held out against Soviet
invaders and the Taliban for over 20 years.
As the cortege moved toward the area where the funeral
service was held, a voice bellowed over a loudspeaker: "Death
to Pakistan. Death to the Taliban. Death to Osama. We will
fight for our freedom to the very end."
Masood has died in an Afghan hospital from wounds suffered
in a suicide bomb attack by two men posing as Arab
journalists. He was 48. His fate had been unclear until the
official announcement on Saturday.
The attack on Masood came just two days before hijackers
killed thousands of people in New York and Washington in
sophisticated suicide attacks for which increasing evidence is
pointing toward bin Laden, who has been given refuge by the
Taliban.
Masood was the main military obstacle to the Taliban goal
of rule over all of Afghanistan. Since the assassination
attempt, the Taliban appear to have stepped up their attacks
against Masood's comrades, the last cohesive military force
facing the hardline Islamic group.
Rabbani's government is recognised by the United Nations,
to the anger of the Taliban. Only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates recognise the Taliban as the government
of Afghanistan.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
