The leader of Afghanistan’s only region not to have fallen to the Taliban has said he would be willing to join a Taliban government, but only if the group proved itself to be inclusive and respect the rights of all Afghans.
Ahmad Massoud, 32, leads forces in the Panjshir Valley and said that war was on the cards if the group attempted an attack on his region.
In his first interview since the fall of Kabul last week, he told The National he had seen little evidence the group had changed over the past two decades.
He poured scorn on the group’s promise not to seek revenge against Afghans who had worked for the government or foreign forces.
“The pardon that the Taliban mentioned is just a sham — it is not real,” he said.
“They have been going behind the doors and the houses of the people who work in the government. They are going after each individual who has worked for the government in the past 20 years.”
He added the group were “telling us good things, but their actions are something different”.
On the phone from his stronghold in the valley, Mr Massoud described a scene of frenzy in Panjshir as much of the rest of the country fell to the Taliban in a matter of days last week. His home province is now the only holdout.
The Afghan leader added that hundreds of Afghan commandos, members of the special forces and pilots had fled to the safety of Panjshir, which has a population of 200,000 and 20 military bases.
“They brought hundreds of Humvees, armoured cars, and we managed to bring five helicopters. We were flying them back to Kabul to bring more soldiers here,” he said on Thursday.
They aren’t the only ones. On Wednesday, Mr Massoud’s representative said refugees have already begun to arrive from other areas of the country and are being sheltered by Panjshiri families in their homes.
For the graduate of Sandhurst and Kings College London, resisting the Taliban is a family business.
His father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, led the Northern Alliance of tribes and militia groups as it battled the Taliban in the 1990s until his assassination by Osama bin Laden two days before 9/11. Now, many are looking to his son as Afghanistan’s only hope against The Taliban.
Mr Massoud acknowledged that while he is in direct communication with the Taliban, he is not optimistic a war can be averted.
“Our position is very clear: if the Taliban allow the people of Afghanistan to be a part of the government and have an inclusive government, then that’s one thing,” he said.
“If the intention is to single-handedly enforce your will on the people and to enforce your own ideas on the people, then we will not accept an unjust government.”
He said Panjshir was preparing for war and was ready should the Taliban attack, but the region's leaders are also pushing for peace.
“We are not after war, we are after peace, but peace has some conditions — otherwise, things will evolve into another war,” he said.
Amid rumours that the Taliban may soon launch an offensive to capture Panjshir, Mr Massoud fired a stark warning to the group.
“We are telling them that as soon as war breaks out in the Panjshir Valley, then there is no going back. If something happens to our people, or our soldiers, there is no going back.
“It is going to be a very bloody and hard war because the people of Panjshir are going to fight to the very last breath.”
The majority of Afghan provinces fell without violence, as Afghan soldiers and leaders chose to prevent bloodshed over retaining territory.
Mr Massoud was fiercely critical of Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy who oversaw negotiations with the Taliban that ultimately led to the withdrawal of American forces and the collapse of the Afghan government.
“Mr Khalilzad single-handedly ruined this country. He single-handedly ruined all the efforts and all the sacrifices — it was for nothing, because of Mr Khalilzad,” he said.
“We could see the problem with the peace process. We expressed our concern time after time. We told the Americans that the government is so fragile, it would not last weeks, let alone months.
“Unfortunately, even I was wrong, because it lasted just a few days.”
He called on the international community to support his forces in Panjshir while also aiding the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
“It’s a catastrophic scene when you walk [in the valley], the refugees are in their thousands. They are coming to Panjshir Valley, which is the only place which is left, and we are expecting more and more people to come”
“Any country which is willing to help Panjshir now will be remembered as a good friend of Afghanistan,” he said.
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• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
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FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
Company%20Profile
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
