CNN -- Sebastian Junger found him crouched on a battlefield in Afghanistan, fighting to stay alive. Ahmad Shah Massoud, center in white shirt, leads his men in his beloved Afghan mountains. The Taliban had the man cornered and outnumbered. A sniper's bullet came so close to the man that it plucked dirt between his feet. But Junger watched him coolly orchestrate a cunning counterattack by his soldiers -- all while discussing his favorite poetry and international news. "He had tremendous magnetism," says Junger, a noted journalist and author who has written bestsellers like "The Perfect Storm," and "A Death in Belmont."
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Legendary Afghan leader instilled fear in Taliban, Afghans say
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Ahmad Shah Massoud considered prototype for Afghan leader, some say
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Author Sebastian Junger: 'He had tremendous magnetism'
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