But Mr. Massoud’s organization is in its infancy, desperate for support, and legitimacy. Mr. Massoud says his ranks are filled by those slighted by the government and, much like the Taliban, he thinks that Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, has overstayed his welcome. “We are ready, even if it requires my own life,” Mr. Massoud said in an interview. Even the symbols at Mr. Massoud’s events harken back to the civil war era: old Northern Alliance flags and the old national anthem. Today, supporting any sort of insurgency or building a resistance movement poses real challenges, said Lisa Maddox, a former C.I.A.

Source: New York Times May 14, 2021 09:00 UTC