Northern Alliance

The Northern Alliance was a coalition of Afghan factions, formally called the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, that fought the Taliban.

Afghan Civil War (1992–1996): A conflict among Afghan factions that followed the Soviet-backed government’s collapse and preceded the Taliban’s capture of Kabul. Factional divisions from this war shaped the forces later united against the Taliban.
Ahmad Shah Massoud: An Afghan military commander who led resistance forces against Soviet forces and later the Taliban. Massoud became the alliance’s best-known commander and strategic leader.
Jamiat-e Islami: An Afghan Islamist political party that became a major force in the anti-Taliban coalition. Massoud’s forces and Rabbani’s political leadership were rooted in this party.
September 11 attacks: A series of coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11, 2001. The attacks prompted US military action in Afghanistan alongside alliance forces.
Taliban: An Islamist movement that governed most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and returned to power in 2021. The alliance formed to resist the Taliban’s rule and military expansion.
Abdul Rashid Dostum: An Afghan Uzbek military commander and politician who led forces in northern Afghanistan. Dostum’s forces were among the alliance’s major military components.
Junbish-i Milli: An Afghan political-military faction founded by Abdul Rashid Dostum and based largely in the north. Dostum’s faction supplied a distinct regional force within the coalition.
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021): A war beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and ending with the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Alliance forces helped overthrow the Taliban government at the war’s outset.
United Front: The formal name of the coalition of Afghan factions known as the Northern Alliance. This was the alliance’s official name, used in political and diplomatic contexts.
Mohammed Fahim: An Afghan military commander who succeeded Ahmad Shah Massoud as a leading figure in the alliance. Fahim led key alliance forces after Massoud’s assassination.

Linked from 7 pages