September 9th is no longer a public holiday to honour Massoud after being cancelled by Taliban authorities.
When is Massoud Day?
Massoud Day was a public holiday in Afghanistan observed on September 9th each year.
This holiday commemorated a revered military commander who died on this day in 2001.
History of Massoud Day
Ahmad Shah Massoud belonged to the Tajik community in the Panjshir valley in northern Afghanistan.
Known to his supporters as the "Lion of Panjshir", Massoud was a revered military commander of the Mujahideen who led the guerrilla resistance against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.
After the collapse of the Soviet-backed government in 1992, Massoud was involved in the coalition government that replaced it and was the interim defence minister.
In 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul, overthrew the government and established it's regime, leading Massoud back into guerrilla resistance.
After having led the various ethnic groups of Afghanistan under the Northern Alliance in a sustained campaign against the Taliban government, he was assassinated by Al-Qaida suicide bombers on September 9th 2001, just two days before the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
In May 2012, the National Assembly of Afghanistan declared September 9th as a national holiday in recognition of Afghanistan's martyred hero.
