In Part 2 of this exclusive interview with acclaimed journalist and author Jon Lee Anderson, we investigate one of the most consequential assassinations in Afghanistan’s modern history: the killing of Ahmad Shah Massoud, just two days before the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Drawing on his extensive reporting and personal investigations in Afghanistan, Jon takes us behind the scenes of Massoud’s assassination, examining how two al-Qaeda operatives posing as journalists gained access to the legendary Tajik commander, who helped facilitate their journey, and the troubling questions that remain unanswered more than two decades later.
Jon recounts his encounters with some of Afghanistan’s most powerful figures, including Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Bismillah Khan, Marshal Fahim and Abdullah Abdullah. He explains why he came to suspect that Sayyaf may have been directly involved in the plot, his conversations with Massoud’s brother Ahmad Wali Massoud, and what British intelligence officials privately told him about the assassination. We also explore the rivalries, shifting loyalties and political calculations within the Northern Alliance, and the possibility that Massoud was betrayed by people close to him.
Jon also reflects on how he foresaw the eventual defeat of the United States in Afghanistan, the failures of the two-decade Western intervention, and the decisions that ultimately paved the way for the Taliban’s return to power. Looking ahead, we discuss the possible scenarios awaiting Afghanistan, the country’s uncertain future under Taliban rule, and what its troubled history might tell us about what comes next. He, of course, shares incredibly fascinating stories of Afghanistan and its people.
Jon Lee Anderson is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and one of the most respected foreign correspondents of his generation. His reporting from Afghanistan spans more than three decades, and his books include A Lion’s Grave and To Lose a War.
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