The Lion and I

Ahmad Shah Massoud, the most prominent leader of the Afghan Mujahedin since the 1980s, has been dubbed the Lion of Panjshir and has been considered a guerrilla genius for his successful tactics which were instrumental at expelling the Soviets out of Afghanistan. After their withdrawal and the ensuing civil war among the Mujahedin factions, Massoud maintained the last stronghold in the country against the advancing radical Taliban who had taken over the capital Kabul in 1996 and had taken over 90% of the country by 2001. Sebastian Junger - the author of the Perfect Storm visited Massoud at the frontlines in 2000 together with the internationally acclaimed photographer Reza. Junger had this to say about the commander: There was something about his face, the look in his eyes, his smile, the way he spoke, that made it clear we were in the presence of a very great man. This quote reflects the immediate impact Massoud had on me when I first watched a report about him in late 2003 and this resulted in the writing of this book. I can say without any reservation that there has never been anyone who has had a bigger impact on me. It was because of him that I went to Afghanistan for 5 years. This book is a fictional account but told against the backdrop of historic facts, actual persons and places of recent Afghan history.It sprung from a desperate heart unable to deal with the death of this incredible man whom I was unable to meet due to him being murdered on 9th September 2001, two days before the 9-11 attacks on New York. A murder committed by the same people Massoud had been battling for years.