In May 2012, the
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly ( ps, , Mili Shura, prs, , Shura-e Milli), also known as the Parliament of Afghanistan or simply as the Afghan Parliament, was the legislature of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It was effectively dissolved when the ...
is reported to have accepted September 9 (or September 8, variable per
Solar Hijri calendar
The Solar calendar ( fa, گاهشماری هجری خورشیدی, Gâhšomâri-ye Xoršidi; ps, لمريز لېږدیز کلیز, lamrez legdez kalhandara; ku, ڕۆژژمێری کۆچیی ھەتاوی, Salnameya Koçberiyê) is a solar c ...
) as "a new national holiday to honour national hero
Ahmad Shah Massoud and those who died fighting for the country." The date is set as a Shahrivar 18.
Ahmad Shah Massoud was an
Afghan military leader from
Panjshir Valley
The Panjshir Valley (also spelled Panjsher or Darah-I-Panjshir; Pashto/Dari: – ''Dare-ye Panjšēr''; literally ''Valley of the Five Lions'') is a valley in northeastern Afghanistan, north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. It is di ...
. He was a leader of the resistance against the
Soviet invasion and the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
. He was assassinated on September 9, 2001 in a
suicide attack. Massoud Day is a holiday in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
that occurs each year as a commemoration of his death.
On September 8, 2012, Afghanistan celebrated Martyrs' Day.
The holiday is celebrated as ''Haftai Shahid'', or "Martyr Week". It is also observed as Massoud Day.
References
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(Xinhua)
September observances
Observances honoring victims of war
Public holidays in Afghanistan
History of Afghanistan (1992–present)
Observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar
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