RASC News Agency: Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), declared in a powerful speech this week that a new wave of civic awakening and resistance is rising across Afghanistan a collective movement poised to dismantle the oppressive rule of the Taliban. Massoud emphasized that he receives an overwhelming volume of messages each day from citizens across the country who are eager to join the resistance messages that reflect a nation no longer willing to remain silent in the face of brutality, religious extremism, and authoritarianism.
Speaking during a virtual commemoration ceremony on the second anniversary of the Taliban’s targeted killing of seven prominent members of the Freedom Front in Salang, Massoud underscored a universal truth: regimes devoid of public support are inherently fragile. “No regime can survive without the will of the people,” he declared. “Eventually, change rooted in justice and driven by the people will break through even the most fortified walls of tyranny.” With hope tempered by realism, Massoud added, “I envision the day soon to come when, alongside our people, we will celebrate the triumph of freedom, justice, and democratic self-determination. That day is not a distant dream; it is a historical inevitability.”
Massoud did not mince words in his denunciation of the Taliban, branding them as a force of fear, oppression, and terror. He accused the group of ruling through coercion, silencing dissent, and exploiting religion as a tool of repression. “The Taliban seek to dominate with the illusion of control,” he said, “but while they may hold the clock in their hands, time itself history is on the side of the Afghanistani people.” The NRF leader also issued a stern warning that no political regime no matter how militarized or externally supported can endure without legitimacy born of the people’s consent. He pointed to the Taliban’s growing international isolation and increasing regional discomfort with their governance, suggesting that even geopolitical power plays cannot permanently secure a regime so widely reviled.
Massoud also urged unity among all anti-Taliban forces, cautioning them against falling into the strategic traps laid by their adversaries. “We must not allow our resistance to be fragmented by ethnic, geographic, or factional divisions. These are the very tools our enemies use to dismantle us from within,” he said. He called for a unified front rooted in common values and national purpose to challenge the Taliban’s hold on power. In his remarks, Massoud indirectly referenced recent attempts by Taliban-affiliated elements to sow discord among opposition circles through targeted misinformation and internal sabotage. He called on resistance leaders, activists, and the diaspora to maintain strategic clarity and remain focused on their shared vision of a free and inclusive Afghanistan.
The virtual ceremony, which marked the second anniversary of the Taliban’s deadly assault on the Freedom Front in Salang, was attended by a number of prominent political exiles, including Massoud and Mohammad Mohaqiq. The gathering honored the memory of seven resistance fighters, including Akmal Amir, who were killed in the April 2023 attack an act widely condemned as part of the Taliban’s broader campaign of political assassination and suppression. Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has plummeted into a state of crisis marked by widespread poverty, international isolation, the mass exodus of educated professionals, and the systematic dismantling of women’s rights and civil liberties. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the group’s manipulation of aid, and watchdog reports have exposed their extortion of international organizations as part of an illicit funding strategy.
Massoud concluded with a message to the people of Afghanistan and to the international community: “The Taliban’s rule is a historical aberration a product of betrayal, not popular will. The Afghanistani people are neither defeated nor voiceless. The resistance is alive, and its spirit is unbreakable. Together, we will reclaim our nation.”
