Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Happy Massoud Day

It is the 13th anniversary of anti-Soviet anti-Taliban Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Massoud's assassination by Al Qaeda (not coincidentally 2 days before 9/11/01) and the streets are full of police checkpoints and men driving around in packed cars with huge Massoud portraits covering their windows and the black-white-green tricolor of the pre-Taliban Afghanistan state and Northern Alliance flying. Apparently they are firing off guns in celebration in some places, but I never know what is distant gunfire and what are construction sounds. Apparently this happens every year and isn't to do with the still stalemated presidential election (although according to the twitterverse some Massoud supporters have been chanting pro-Abdullah anti-Ghani slogans).

Destroyed Soviet armored personnel carrier

UPDATE: According to the Ministry of Interior, one person has been killed and 5 wounded so far by celebratory gunfire. I'm surprised there aren't more casualties from falling bullets.

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