Almost 20 years after the assassination of Commander Massoud, “
an eternal figure of resistance
” in Afghanistan, a Parisian alley was named after him on Saturday by the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, in the presence of his son Ahmad Massoud.
Read also: Ahmad Massoud, when the son takes up the torch
Anne Hidalgo spoke at the inauguration of an alley in the gardens of the Champs-Élysées "
Commander Massoud, this eternal figure of the resistance, this freedom fighter whose face, whose fight, whose words still inspire us. today in Afghanistan but also here in Paris
”.
"
By making a place for Commander Massoud in Paris, in our streets, we are celebrating a deeply universal fight (...) for freedom and also for the rights of women
", assured the mayor PS by recalling the "
exceptional bond which has always existed between Commander Massoud and our country
”.
Ahmad Shah Massoud "
would have liked us to celebrate his name at the same time as we commemorate the Paris Commune."
“, For his part declared the philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Ahmad Shah Massoud led the resistance in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupier in the 1980s, then against the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. He was killed by Al-Qaeda two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks, which prompted Washington to launch a massive military operation in Afghanistan, ousting the Taliban from power.
This tribute, voted by the Paris Council on March 9, 2020, comes almost 20 years to the day after his first visit to Paris.
"
Exactly 20 years ago, the late Commander Massoud landed in France at the invitation of the European Parliament, and it is from here that he launched his campaign against international terrorism and extremism,
" recalled his son.
To read also: Periscope N ° 40: Afghanistan, how to get out?
"
I would like to reaffirm our commitment, that of France, to ensure that the democratic rights and public freedoms acquired over the past 20 years are preserved while Afghanistan is currently at a critical moment
," said the secretary of French State in charge of European Affairs, Clément Beaune, recalling "
that France has paid the blood price in this fight for freedom alongside the Afghan people, it has lost 90 men
".