Dozens of politicians and high-ranking government officials attended the commemoration ceremony of Martyrs Week and the 16th anniversary of National Hero Ahmad Shah Massoud’s assassination in Kabul on Saturday. 

Leaders and politicians said Massoud had been a brave commander - one who was respected even by his enemy and a real hero of his homeland.

Ahmad Shah Massoud, son of Colonel Dost Mohammad Khan, was born in Jangalak area in Panjshir district in September 1953.

He spent his childhood days in Panjshir and started school at the age of five. As a young boy he moved to Herat with his family and then to Kabul where he continued his studies.

Massoud enrolled at the Polytechnic University in Kabul in 1973 and at the same time received membership of the Nahzat Islami Afghanistan party. Two years later, in 1975, he led the first rebellion of Panjshir residents against the government of that time.

“Massoud was a faithful Muslim and a virtuous political man,” Abdullah said.

According to former president Hamid Karzai, Massoud had been well respected, even among his opposition and enemies.

“His enemies confirmed his patriotism. This means a lot,” Karzai said.

Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated in a suicide bombing in Khajwa Bahawuddin district in Takhar in September 2001.

“He deserved to be the national hero,” said Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf, a former jihadi leader.

The anniversary of Massoud’s death is marked annually on 9 September in the country.