On this day in 2001 Ahmed Shah Massoud the leader of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan was assassinated by two al-Queda assassins who claimed to be Arab journalists wanting an interview.

Massoud was known as “The Lion of Panjshir” he played a huge role in fighting off the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980’s. In 1989 the Wall Street Journal called him ‘the Afghan who won the Cold War” Massoud’s assassination took place 2 days before the 9-11 attacks on the United States. Massoud was 48 years old.