Growing Up Bin Laden - Jean P. Sasson [93]
But none of the other warlords shared his good sense, so they fought on without him. Civil war seized hold of the land, bringing a time of ferocious fighting between men who had recently been allies against the Russians. My father confided that he had tried to encourage cooperation between the warlords. “But, my son,” he said, “Afghan leaders can be the most stubborn of men. Most were unwilling to compromise on anything, whether land, government, or law. Sadly, when they could not reach an agreement of the minds, they reached for their guns.”
My father was disheartened that the Afghans had not banded as one to put the broken pieces of their country back together.
There were other famous warriors known to my father, and Sheik Khalis and my father discussed their whereabouts, but I can remember little for their hearts were so full of memories that anyone who didn’t experience the war with them would have a difficult time following their conversations. After all these years I do remember the names of Ahmad Shah Massoud, Abdul Rashid Dustum, and Sheik Sayaff.
Ahmed Shah Massoud was the Afghan warrior best known throughout the world. His father was a policeman, and the young Ahmad received a good education, becoming fluent in five languages. Because of his father’s position, he developed a special interest in politics. From his school years he had opposed the communist movement’s attempt to influence his country. Yet he disagreed with resorting to terrorist acts, declaring that such violence would only destroy Afghanistan. After the Russian army invaded in full force, Massoud became a leader against the intruders, becoming the greatest resistance fighter.
After the Russians were defeated, Massoud continued his participation in Afghan politics, meeting with many former warlords in an effort to bring true peace to his country. That’s when the Taliban group won the support of Pakistan, who hated Massoud because he said the Taliban was too radical and that Pakistan should stay out of Afghanistan’s business. Instead, he called for democracy.
Massoud was an important part of the Northern Alliance, which was fighting the Taliban. But the Taliban, with its backing from the powerful Pakistanis, was conquering most of Afghanistan. By the time my father and I arrived in Afghanistan, most believed that Massoud didn’t have a chance of victory. That was when my father predicted that the Taliban would ultimately win the civil war and control all of Afghanistan. That was when he also realized he must embrace the Taliban if he wanted to live in peace in Afghanistan.
Of course, this meant that Massoud, a man he had once supported, would become my father’s enemy. Nevertheless, I believe that my father had enormous respect for Massoud, saying once, “No Russian ever walked through Massoud’s territory.”
I personally met another former leader, the striking-looking Sheik Sayaff. The sheik must have been proud of his beard, which had remained black as night, because he intentionally kept it long and dressed it bushy—the longest, fluffiest beard I have seen to this day. I wanted to ask about his beard but never found the nerve. His huge size was a second surprise. He was very tall, although not as tall as my father, but was the broadest man I’ve ever seen in my life, although his body width was not composed of fat. His form was so unusual that I find him difficult to describe and I wish I had a picture. When in his presence, I tried not to stare but found it impossible. Considering his beard and his size, I decided that he was the most majestic warrior of his day, which is saying a lot when nearly every Afghan soldier I met appeared powerful and intimidating.
Then the day came that my father said, “Enough visiting. The time has come to prepare our new home in Tora Bora.”
I had been hoping that the gift of land in Jalalabad would cause my father to forget about Tora Bora, which had the unpromising meaning of “black dust.” I wanted us to remain at the old palace until he could build a compound for us in the