Ahmad Shah Massoud

My first vector... don't be too harsh! I'm still starting out

Okay. This is a vector portrait of Ahmad Shah Massoud, an Afghan guerilla commander. He led the resistance against Soviet imperialism during the 80's, when they invaded Afghanistan (his resistance fighters thrashed the Soviet army six times). When the Taliban revolted and took over, Massoud led the resistance against them as well. The Taliban couldn't beat him, and Massoud's forces controlled areas in the north of Afghanistan, where he developed democratic institutions where minorities were given equal rights, and women were given equal status to men.

The Taliban, even with the massive support of the Pakistani government (in the form of arms shipments and intelligence), couldn't beat him. They grew so desperate, that they enlisted the help of Al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden authorised a special assassination to take him out.

He is hugely popular in Afghanistan, where he is known as Shir-e-Panjshir, the "lion of Panjshir". Panjshir's where he was born.