An Afghan opposition leader has cautioned the country against becoming a haven for terrorists on the 9/11 anniversary.

Despite the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago and the 23 years that have elapsed since the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan is now in a more dire state than it was on the day of the attacks.

The Afghan National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud stated in a rare interview with Planet Chronicle Digital that this country has once again become a safe haven for terrorism and will likely become a battlefield again.

The threat from Afghanistan is greater today than it was on 9/11, and the U.S. failed to achieve its objective of eliminating terrorists when it quickly exited Afghanistan in August 2021, as stated by Massoud.

The threat of terrorism from Afghanistan has spread from the U.S. to Europe and recently to Russia. It is only a matter of time, Massoud believes, for it to reach America's shores again.

"The time will come, I am certain," Massoud stated.

Despite the odds, Massoud remains committed to his vision of a free and democratic Afghanistan, and he believes that Americans and Afghans share a deep bond over their common values of fighting for freedom against terrorists.

Massoud stated that he felt the same emotions as the victims of 9/11 and that the people of the United States and Afghanistan were closely connected due to the fact that the same group carried out the attacks on both countries, and that the attackers who killed Americans on 9/11 also took his father's life.

Despite the passage of twenty-three years and four U.S. presidential administrations, Afghans continue to experience the same threat of Islamic extremism, pain, and oppression as they did on 9/11.

Immediately after the Taliban regained power, anti-Taliban forces quickly fled to Afghanistan's northern Panjshir Valley and declared their opposition to the new regime.

The leader of the NRF, Massoud, pledged to persist in the struggle against the Taliban.

Massoud stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that he did not wish to leave his people in the clutches of evil.

Ahmad Shah Massoud, an Afghan resistance hero, was the father of Massoud, who was only 12 years old when his father was assassinated by al Qaeda two days before the 9/11 terror attacks. Shah Massoud was a key figure in the rebels who fought against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and led the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance that resisted the Taliban's reign from 1996 to 2001.

In war-torn Afghanistan, a young boy's future as a rebel leader like his father was uncertain.

Massoud stated that his father never desired for him to follow the same path.

Massoud recalled that his father did not want him to become a rebel leader due to the immense pain, pressure, and expectations it entails.

Massoud is not performing this task out of respect for his deceased father or due to their familial relationship.

"I'm doing it because I'm deeply in love with my people and I can't bear to see them in this predicament."

Massoud is urging America and the world not to forget the threat of terrorism in Afghanistan, even as time and memories of the September 9/11 attacks fade away.

The resistance leader stated that al Qaeda is currently more powerful and established in Afghanistan than it has ever been.

The 2020 Doha Agreement, brokered by former President Donald Trump, established the foundation for the removal of all American troops from Afghanistan in exchange for a commitment from the Taliban to safeguard the country from any terrorist group utilizing its soil to target or menace the United States or its allies.

The Taliban guaranteed that no terrorist organization would plan an attack from Afghan soil. However, despite the absence of attacks on the U.S. and its allies, groups such as al Qaeda continue to operate in Afghanistan and maintain strong connections with the Taliban.

The Taliban has maintained close relations with al Qaeda since their return to power, and the group responsible for the 9/11 attacks has been "strategically patient" and has cooperated with other terrorist groups in Afghanistan while prioritizing its ongoing relationship with the Taliban, according to numerous United Nations reports.

According to U.N. monitoring, Al Qaeda operates at least eight training camps in Afghanistan, but does so covertly to give the impression that the Taliban is adhering to the Doha Agreement.

As the U.S. engaged in negotiations with the Taliban, Massoud was aware that their intentions were not sincere.

The Taliban's true face will be revealed when it fails, according to Massoud.

The NRF leader stated that the international community believed the Taliban's lies that they had undergone a fundamental transformation from the group that previously ruled Afghanistan before 9/11.

Massoud angrily stated that women have been reduced to nothing more than men's property and education has been completely destroyed by the Taliban,

According to his son, the elder Massoud cautioned against an international presence in Afghanistan, stating that the U.S. approached him with a proposal to establish military bases and collaborate on counterterrorism efforts.

Shah Massoud was very clear in his vision.

According to Massoud, his father believed that boots on the ground in Afghanistan would never succeed. He had fought against the Russian invasion and did not want another foreign force to be present in the country.

The U.S. did not heed these warnings when they went into Afghanistan.

Massoud seeks logistical and financial assistance to continue his father's policy of keeping foreign troops off Afghan soil and to combat terrorism with his own forces based in the country.

Massoud acknowledged the need for assistance and support from the world, but he also comprehends the U.S.'s frustration with "forever wars" and respects its policy against additional conflicts. In his view, the U.S.-Afghan relationship should continue to work towards combating terrorism, and Afghans should not feel betrayed by the same group that caused harm to Americans and Afghans remaining in power.

Despite the Taliban's consolidation of power three years later, the U.S.-Afghan partnership formed after 9/11 remains non-existent.

"We are on our own and there is no external support."

If the NRF receives support from the U.S. and the international community, it could greatly benefit.

The slightest external support would lead to the liberation of a significant portion of Afghanistan, as the people are strongly opposed to the Taliban. Any hope or opportunity for the Afghan people, no matter how small, would weaken the Taliban's grip on the country.

Massoud was highly critical of U.S. policy during the period following 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, particularly regarding the expansion of the War on Terror to Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Massoud argued that more attention was needed to help build Afghan institutions and make the new government more stable and therefore harder to overthrow, which was the second priority after the expansion of the war to Iraq diverted attention from Afghanistan.

Massoud was also critical of the U.S. strategy, particularly the effort to establish an Afghan military modeled after the U.S. military.

"The lack of American resources and technology led to a disastrous outcome."

The conflicting strategies of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency implemented by the U.S. over the years were unable to completely eradicate the Taliban and establish a stable government in Afghanistan, as stated by Massoud.

"Unfortunately, the Afghans were unable to convey to the Americans that these strategies are ineffective in Afghanistan, resulting in a failure to develop a suitable strategy."

Despite being critical of American and international leadership and strategy in Afghanistan, Massoud placed 70% to 80% of the blame on the Afghan leadership and their flawed thinking that the U.S. and coalition partners would remain in Afghanistan forever like on the Korean Peninsula. The false sense of security did not allow Afghan leaders to focus on national trust, and corruption and criminality ran rampant.

Unfortunately, the internal political struggles and personal agendas of not recognizing the unsustainability of the situation and its inability to establish a stable democracy hindered Afghanistan's ability to combat terrorism threats.

"They missed all of those opportunities," Massoud said.

The resistance leader recognizes the intricacy of international politics and understands that numerous ongoing conflicts demand U.S. involvement.

The U.S. and the West are experiencing fatigue and have been stretched from Ukraine to Taiwan to Gaza. This stress is another factor preventing them from focusing on Afghanistan, as Massoud lamented.