[Taqwus]

Ah, foobar -- it's now widely reported that Masood's family has confirmed his death resulting from injuries caused at a press conference a week (?) or so ago -- two people with a bomb in their camera got in by posing as journalists.

FYI, Masood was, perhaps, the most important leader in unifying the Afghan anti-Taliban opposition forces, which had been highly fragmented in the interval between the withdrawal of the Soviet Union and the sudden appearance of the Taliban movement. His coalition only controls an estimated 5% of the country, but if the US were to get off the fence and actively support an anti-Taliban faction (rather than mere verbal criticism and lack of diplomatic recognition, while watching them take over), or go further and attempt to install its own government, Masood would have been a logical choice for a major participant.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night