Massoud led resistance to the Russian occupation, and then defended Kabul against the Taliban. A devout but anti-extremist muslim, he remains an inspirational figure, the subject of Ken Follet's Lie Down with Lions. Sandy knew Massoud and his gripping biography covers the mystery of his assassination. Sandy Gall, now 94, covered the 1956 Suez Crisis, the Hungarian revolution , the fall of Saigon, Cambodia's killing fields, and , for many years, Afghanistan. His health charity has helped 70,000 Aghans wounded in war.

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