During a videotaping in June 2001, Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud spoke with his Washington advocate and lobbyist Otilie English. “The Arabs and the Pakistani Taliban were the key to the war’s outcome, he [Massoud] continued. ‘It is a totally separate story whether Osama is a popular figure outside Afghanistan or not, but inside Afghanistan, actually, he is not,’ Massoud told English. ‘For myself, for my colleagues, and for us totally, he is a criminal. He is a person who has committed crimes against our people.’ ” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Steve Coll, Ghost Wars, Page 562