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[[Image:Flag of Afghanistan 1992 free.png|thumb|Flag flown by the UIF]]
[[Image:Northern Alliance troops line a runway at Bagram Airbase.jpg|thumb|Northern Alliance troops lined up next to the runway at [[Bagram Air Base]], December 16, 2001]]
 
The '''United Front''' (United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan,''' ('''UIF''', ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islami-yi Milli bara-yi Nijat-i Afghanistan''), knownmore incommonly the Westknown as the Afghan '''Northern Alliance''', was a [[military]]-[[politics|political]] [[umbrella organization]] created by the [[Islamic State of Afghanistan]] in 1996 under the leadership of [[Defense Minister]] [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]. The organization united all ethnic groups ofvarious [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] groups fighting against theeach Afghanother [[Taliban]]to whofight were supported by neighboringthe [[PakistanTaliban]] and [[Osama bin Laden|Bin Laden's]] [[Al Qaeda]]instead. The United Front included [[Tajik people|Tajiks]], [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]], [[Hazara people|Hazaras]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]] and others.
In late 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that killed 3 000 people, the United Front succeeded in retaking most of Afghanistan from the Taliban with assistance from the [[United States armed forces]] and [[United States Special Forces|U.S. special forces]]. Despite fears of a return to the chaos similar to that of the [[Civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996)|1992-1996 civil war]], all the different UIF factions accepted the new interim [[Presidency of Hamid Karzai|Karzai administration]] led by [[President of Afghanistan|Afghan President]] [[Hamid Karzai]].
 
In late 2001, with assistance from [[United States|U.S.]] and allied [[air support]] and [[special forces]], the UIF succeeded in retaking most of Afghanistan from the Taliban. Despite fears of a return to the chaos similar to that of the [[Afghan Civil War (1992-1996)]], the UIF factions largely accepted the new order.
==Commanders and factions==
 
== Organization and history ==
Beside [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] the best-known commanders of the United Front were:
 
[[Image:Afghanistan map civilwar01.png|thumb|Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until the U.S. invasion in October 2001]]
*(from the north) [[Bismillah Khan Mohammadi]], Qasim Fahim, Gul Haider, Haji Rahim, Commander Piram Qol, Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq, Rashid Dostum, Qazi Kabir Marzban, Commander Ata Mohammad and General Malek;
[[File:011215-F-3961R-018 Northern Alliance troops under General Dostum's command in Mazar-e Sharif.JPEG|thumb|General Dostum's Uzbek fighters [[Mazar-i-Sharif]] on 15 December 2001]]
*(from the east) Haji [[Abdul Qadir]], Commander Hazrat Ali, Commander Jaan Daad Khan and Abdullah Wahedi, Commander Qatrah and Commander Najmuddin;
*(from the south) Commander Qari Baba, Noorzai, and Hotak;
*(from the west and southwest) Ismail Khan, Doctor Ibrahim, and Fazlkarim Aimaq;
*(from central Afghanistan) [[Hussain Anwari]], Said Hussein Aalemi Balkhi, Said Mustafa Kazemi, Akbari, Mohammad Ali Jawed, Karim Khaili and Commander Sher Alam.
 
The Afgahn [[mujahideen]] fighters who had previously defeated the communist government and formed the Islamic State of Afghanistan (ISA) came under attack and in 1996 lost the capital to the Taliban. At this juncture the mujahideen resorted to the creation of UIF because [[Abdul Rashid Dostum]] and other warlords who belonged to various groups but to no specific political party did not want to recognize the ISA as a legal entity, so the defeated government devised a military strategy to utilize these forces while not offending their political sensibilities.
The political parties (factions) in contrast to the commanders played only a minor role in the war against the Taliban:
*[[Jamiat-i Islami|Islamic Party of Afghanistan]] - ''Jamiat-i Islami'' - Made up of mainly Persian-speaking Sunni [[Tājik people|Tajiks]] officially led by [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]].
*[[Islamic Movement of Afghanistan]] - ''Harakat-i Islami'' - Shia Tajiks, led by [[Ayatollah]] [[Muhammad Asif Muhsini]].
*[[Hezb-i Wahdat|Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan]] - ''Hezb-i Wahdat'' - Made up of Shia [[Hazara people|Hazaras]] and supported by Iran, led by [[Mohammed Mohaqiq]] and [[Karim Khalili]].
*[[National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan]] - ''Junbish-i Milli'' - Made up of [[Uzbeks]] and former communists, led by [[Abdul Rashid Dostum]].
*[[Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan]] - ''Ittihad-i Islami'' - Sunni [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]], led by [[Abdul Rasul Sayyaf]].
 
In October 1996 [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] and Gen. Dostum came to an agreement in [[Khinjan District|Khinjan]] to form the anti-Taliban coalition that outside Afghanistan became known as the "Northern Alliance". They vowed to set up a non-[[Islamic fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] government in the nine northern [[provinces of Afghanistan]] under their control. Their pact was also signed by [[Karim Khalili]], leader of the [[Shia Islam|Shiite]] [[Hazara people|Hazaras]] in Afghanistan, whose forces controlled a 10th province. The presence of the [[Russia]]n Consul General in Mazar-i-Sharif, Oleg Nevelayev, signaled diplomatic support from the Russian Federation. At that moment, the Taliban controlled all other provinces of Afghanistan, except a part of [[Parwan Province]] north of the capital [[Kabul]] that was held by Massoud's forces.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/11/world/2-afghan-factions-sign-pact-to-fight-new-kabul-rulers.html "2 AFGHAN FACTIONS SIGN PACT TO FIGHT NEW KABUL RULERS"]</ref><ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/14/world/afghan-fights-islamic-tide-as-a-savior-or-a-conqueror.html "Afghan Fights Islamic Tide: As a Savior or a Conqueror?"]</ref><ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/08/world/afghan-driven-from-kabul-makes-stand-in-north.html "Afghan Driven From Kabul Makes Stand in North"]</ref>
The two main political candidates in the Afghan Presidential Elections of 2009 both worked for the United Front:
*[[Abdullah Abdullah]] (was a close friend of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] and the foreign minister of the alliance)
*[[Hamid Karzai]] (his father was killed by the Taliban, he subsequently went on a diplomatic mission to gather support for Massoud in Europe and the U.S. in 2000/2001)
 
Although recognised by most foreign nations as the legal government, it only controlled up to 30% of the country. [[President of Afghanistan]] [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]] was the national head of the United Islamic Front, however the central government had little power and personnel changes were frequent. The exception to this was the post of Defence Minister, which was held by Ahmed Shah Massoud and [[Mohammed Fahim]]. Before the [[9/11 attacks]]; [[Russia]], [[Iran]], the [[Central Asia]]n nations of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]], [[India]] and [[Turkey]] were giving aid to UIF. However [[Pakistan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] were supporting the Taliban.
==Background and history==
 
Three [[ethnic group]]s dominated the UIF: the [[Tājik people|Tajiks]], who make up 27% of Afghanistan's population and are the second largest ethnic group, the Hazara and the [[Uzbeks]], who each make up about 9% of the population. From the Taliban conquest in 1996 until November 2001 the UIF controlled roughly 30% of Afghanistan's population in provinces such as [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]], [[Kapisa Province|Kapisa]], [[Takhar Province|Takhar]] and parts of [[Parwan Province|Parwan]], [[Kunar Province|Kunar]], [[Nuristan Province|Nuristan]], [[Laghman Province|Laghman]], [[Samangan Province|Samangan]], [[Kunduz Province|Kunduz]], [[Ghōr Province|Ghōr]] and [[Bamyan Province|Bamyan]], all in the north of the country (hence the name 'Northern Alliance'). Throughout the campaign against the Taliban, the UIF's fortunes fluctuated, but neither side succeeded in gaining a major advantage.
After the fall of the [[communist]] [[Najibullah]]-regime in 1992, the Afghan political parties agreed on a peace and power-sharing agreement (the Peshawar Accords).<ref name="Human Rights Watch (4)">{{cite web|date= |url =http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2005/07/06/blood-stained-hands|title = Blood-Stained Hands, Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan's Legacy of Impunity | publisher = [[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref> The Peshawar Accords created the [[Islamic State of Afghanistan]].<ref name="Human Rights Watch (4)">{{cite web|date= |url =http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2005/07/06/blood-stained-hands|title = Blood-Stained Hands, Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan's Legacy of Impunity | publisher = [[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref> The Islamic State of Afghanistan (ISA) came under attack by several militias (backed by neighboring countries) from 1992-1994 especially in the capital city [[Kabul]].<ref name="Neamatollah Nojumi">{{Cite book| last =Neamatollah Nojumi | authorlink = Neamatollah Nojumi| title =The Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan: Mass Mobilization, Civil War, and the Future of the Region|edition=2002 1st |pages=| publisher = Palgrave, New York }}</ref> Bombardment of the capital by militia faction came to halt in late 1994.<ref name="Afghanistan Justice Project">{{cite web |year=2005|url=http://www.afghanistanjusticeproject.org/warcrimesandcrimesagainsthumanity19782001.pdf |title =Casting Shadows: War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity: 1978-2001 | publisher = Afghanistan Justice Project}}</ref><ref name="amnesty.org">Amnesty International. "DOCUMENT - AFGHANISTAN: FURTHER INFORMATION ON FEAR FOR SAFETY AND NEW CONCERN: DELIBERATE AND ARBITRARY KILLINGS: CIVILIANS IN KABUL." 16 November 1995 Accessed at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA11/015/1995/en/6d874caa-eb2a-11dd-92ac-295bdf97101f/asa110151995en.html</ref><ref name="International Committee of the Red Cross">{{cite web |year=1995|url=http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jly2.htm |title =Afghanistan: escalation of indiscriminate shelling in Kabul| publisher =International Committee of the Red Cross}}</ref>
 
The political leader of the alliance was Rabbani; however, he was little more than a front man for the military commanders. Massoud served as the UIF's Minister of Defence and was by far its most visible and powerful figure, personally commanding around 10,000 best trained and best equipped of the UIF's estimated 40,000 troops. Several other important military leaders controlled different factions within the alliance, including generals Dostum and Fahim and [[Herat Province]]-based commander [[Ismail Khan]]. Dostum had the right to nominate six ministers, including those of defense and foreign affairs, and was the military commander in northern Afghanistan.
The Taliban first started shelling Kabul in early 1995 but were defeated by forces of the Islamic State government under [[Secretary of Defense]] [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]].<ref name="amnesty.org"/> On September 26, 1996, as the Taliban with military support by Pakistan and financial support by Saudi Arabia prepared for another major offensive, Massoud ordered a full retreat from Kabul.<ref>Coll, ''Ghost Wars'' (New York: Penguin, 2005), 14.</ref> The Taliban seized Kabul on September 27, 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They imposed on the parts of Afghanistan under their control their political and judicial interpretation of Islam issuing edicts forbidding women to work outside the home, attend school, or to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.<ref name="Physicians for Human Rights">{{cite web |year=1998 |url = http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/talibans-war-on-women.pdf |title = The Taliban's War on Women. A Health and Human Rights Crisis in Afghanistan| publisher = [[Physicians for Human Rights]]}}</ref>
 
The Northern Alliance's air element was made up from aircraft that were brought to Afghanistan by the [[Soviet Union]] in the 1980s and captured during the collapse of the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]], as well as of those delivered by the alliance's allies later. This consisted of [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]]s, [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]], [[Mil Mi-17|Mi-17]]s and [[Mil Mi-17|Mi-24s]].<ref>''World Aircraft Information Files'', Bright Star Publishing London, File 332 Sheet 3</ref> They were engaged in heavy combat with the Taliban ground and air forces and few survived.
Ahmad Shah Massoud and Abdul Rashid Dostum, two former archnemesis, created the United Front (Northern Alliance) against the Taliban that were preparing offensives against the remaining areas under the control of Massoud and those under the control of Dostum. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvYglyjbHkI see video] The United Front included beside the dominantly [[Tajik]] forces of Massoud and the [[Uzbek]] forces of Dostum, Hazara factions and Pashtun forces under the leadership of commanders such as [[Abdul Haq]], Haji [[Abdul Qadir]], Qari Baba or diplomat [[Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai]].
 
On September 13, 2001, it was confirmed that Ahmad Shah Massoud had died following an attack by [[al-Qaeda]] assassins posing as Saudi journalists four days earlier on September 9. Mohammed Fahim, the next most senior Tajik commander, succeeded Massoud a few days later. In November and December 2001 the UIF gained control of much of the country, including the capital city of Kabul. This was facilitated by extensive bombing of Taliban forces and military infrastructure by the United States during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan]].
The Islamic State government was still recognised by most foreign nations as the legal government. The Taliban's Islamic Emirate received recognition only by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. From the Taliban conquest in 1996 until November 2001 the United Front controlled roughly 30% of Afghanistan's population in provinces such as [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]], [[Kapisa Province|Kapisa]], [[Takhar Province|Takhar]] and parts of [[Parwan Province|Parwan]], [[Kunar Province|Kunar]], [[Nuristan Province|Nuristan]], [[Laghman Province|Laghman]], [[Samangan Province|Samangan]], [[Kunduz Province|Kunduz]], [[Ghōr Province|Ghōr]] and [[Bamyan Province|Bamyan]].
 
== Factions ==
[[File:Guerre en Afghanistan (octobre 2001).PNG|thumb|Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001]]
The Taliban defeated Dostum's Junbish forces militarily by seizing Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998. Dostum went into exile. According to a 55-page report by the [[United Nations]], the Taliban, while trying to consolidate control over northern and western Afghanistan, committed systematic massacres against civilians.<ref name="Newsday 2001">{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-10-12/news/0110120312_1_taliban-fighters-massacres-in-recent-years-mullah-mohammed-omar|title=Taliban massacres outlined for UN |accessdate=|author= Newsday|authorlink= |year=2001|month=October |work=|publisher= Chicago Tribune}}</ref><ref name="papillonsartpalace.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/massacre.htm|title=Confidential UN report details mass killings of civilian villagers |accessdate=October 12, 2001|author= Newsday|authorlink= |year=2001|month= |work=|publisher= newsday.org}}</ref> UN officials stated that there had been "15 massacres" between 1996 and 2001.<ref name="Newsday 2001"/><ref name="papillonsartpalace.com"/> They also said, that "[t]hese have been highly systematic and they all lead back to the [Taliban] Ministry of Defense or to Mullah Omar himself."<ref name="Newsday 2001"/><ref name="papillonsartpalace.com"/>
 
The UIF was composed of roughly five main mujahideen parties (Iran and Turkey considered there to be seven factions in total):
From 1996 to 2001 the [[Al Qaeda]] of [[Osama Bin Laden]] and [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] became a state within the Taliban state.<ref name="Daily Times">{{cite web|year=2008|url =http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\31\story_31-8-2008_pg3_4 |title = BOOK REVIEW: The inside track on Afghan wars by Khaled Ahmed| publisher = [[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]}}</ref> Bin Laden sent Arab recruits to join the fight against the United Front.<ref name="Daily Times"/><ref name="CNN">{{cite web|date=unknown|url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grugy2txSvc&feature=search |title = Brigade 055| publisher = CNN}}</ref> His so-called [[055 Brigade]] was responsible for mass-killings of Afghan civilians.<ref name="Ahmed Rashid/The Telegraph">{{cite web|year=2001|url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1340244/Afghanistan-resistance-leader-feared-dead-in-blast.html |title =Afghanistan resistance leader feared dead in blast| publisher = [[Ahmed Rashid in the Telegraph]]}}</ref> The report by the [[United Nations]] quotes eyewitnesses in many villages describing Arab fighters carrying long knives used for slitting throats and skinning people.<ref name="Newsday 2001"/><ref name="papillonsartpalace.com"/> At the same time former Pakistani President [[Pervez Musharraf]] - then as Chief of Army Staff - was responsible for sending thousands of Pakistanis, including the [[Frontier Corps]], to fight alongside the Taliban and Bin Laden against the forces of Massoud.<ref name="Webster University Press Book"/><ref name="George Washington University">{{cite web|year=2007 |url =http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB227/index.htm#17 |title =Documents Detail Years of Pakistani Support for Taliban, Extremists | publisher = [[George Washington University]]}}</ref><ref name="National Geographic"/><ref name="History Commons">{{cite web|year=2010 |url =http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=ahmed_shah_massoud |title = History Commons| publisher = [[History Commons]]}}</ref> A 1998 document by the [[U.S. State Department]] states that "[A]n estimated 20-40 percent of Taliban soldiers are Pakistani."<ref name="George Washington University"/> It further states that the parents of those Pakistani soldiers "know nothing regarding their child's military involvement with the Taliban until their bodies are brought back to Pakistan."<ref name="George Washington University"/> In total there were believed to be 28 000 Pakistani nationals fighting alongside the Taliban.<ref name="Webster University Press Book"/>
 
*[[Islamic Movement of Afghanistan]] - ''Harakat-i-Islami-yi Afghanistan'' - [[Shia Islam|Shia]], led by [[Ayatollah]] [[Muhammad Asif Muhsini]].
Human Rights Watch cites no human rights crimes for the forces under direct control of Massoud for the period from October 1996 until the assassination of Massoud in September 2001.<ref name="Human Rights Watch"/> As a consequence many civilians fled to the area of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]].<ref name="National Geographic">{{cite web|year=2007|url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpQI6HKV-ZY&feature=related |title = Inside the Taliban| publisher = [[National Geographic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|year=2007 |url =http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/inside-the-taliban-3274/Overview|title =Inside the Taliban | publisher = [[National Geographic]]}}</ref> In total, estimates range up to one million people fleeing the Taliban.<ref name="EU Parliament">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkw-g27AUKE&feature=related |title = Massoud in the European Parliament 2001| publisher = [[EU media]]}}</ref> [[National Geographic]] concluded in its documentary ''"Inside the Taliban"'':
{{blockquote|The only thing standing in the way of future Taliban massacres is [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]."<ref name="National Geographic"/>}}
Massoud remained the only leader of the United Front in Afghanistan. In the areas under his control Massoud set up democratic institutions and signed the [[Women's Rights]] Charter.<ref name="Webster University Press Book">{{Cite book| last = Marcela Grad| authorlink = Marcela Grad| title = Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader|edition=March 1, 2009 |page=310 | publisher = Webster University Press| isbn= }}</ref>
 
*[[Jamiat-e Islami|Islamic Party of Afghanistan]] - ''Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan'' - Made up of mainly [[Dari (Persian)|Dari]]-speaking [[Tājik people|Tajiks]] and led by [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]]. In later years as the capital was lost and the situation was largely military, Rabbani had little influence compared to Defence Ministers [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] and [[Mohammad Fahim]], who were also members of the party.
The Taliban repeatedly offered Massoud a position of power to make him stop his resistance. Massoud declined and explained in one interview:
:"The Taliban say: “Come and accept the post of prime minister and be with us”, and they would keep the highest office in the country, the presidentship. But for what price?! The difference between us concerns mainly our way of thinking about the very principles of the society and the state. We can not accept their conditions of compromise, or else we would have to give up the principles of modern democracy. We are fundamentally against the system called “the Emirate of Afghanistan”."<ref name="Interview">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.orient.uw.edu.pl/balcerowicz/texts/Ahmad_Shah_Masood_en.htm |title =The Last Interview with Ahmad Shah Massoud | publisher = [[Piotr Balcerowicz]]}}</ref>
:"There should be an Afghanistan where every Afghan finds himself or herself happy. And I think that can only be assured by democracy based on consensus."<ref name="St. Petersburg Times" />
Massoud wanted to convince the Taliban to join a political process leading towards democratic elections in a foreseeable future.<ref name="Interview"/> <ref name="Proposal for Peace">{{cite web |year=1998|url =ttp://www.peace-initiatives.com/frame.htm |title =Proposal for Peace, promoted by Commander Massoud | publisher = peace-initiatives.com</ref> Massoud also stated:
:"The Taliban are not a force to be considered invincible. They are distanced from the people now. They are weaker than in the past. There is only the assistance given by Pakistan, Osama bin Laden and other extremist groups that keep the Taliban on their feet. With a halt to that assistance, it is extremely difficult to survive."<ref name="St. Petersburg Times">{{cite web |year=2002|url =http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/09/911/The_man_who_would_hav.shtml |title =The man who would have led Afghanistan| publisher = [[St. Petersburg Times]]}}</ref>
[[File:US Army ethnolinguistic map of Afghanistan -- circa 2001-09.jpg|thumb|left|United Front areas shown with lines in this 2001 map.]] In early 2001 the United Front employed a new strategy of local military pressure and global political appeals.<ref name="Steve Coll: Ghost Wars">{{cite book | last = Steve Coll| authorlink = Steve Coll| title =Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 |edition=February 23, 2004 |page=720| publisher =Penguin Press HC | isbn= }}</ref> Resentment was increasingly gathering against Taliban rule from the bottom of Afghan society including the Pashtun areas.<ref name="Steve Coll: Ghost Wars" /> At the same time they were very wary not to revive the failed Kabul government of the early 1990s.<ref name="Steve Coll: Ghost Wars" /> Already in 1999 Massoud ordered the training of police forces specifically to keep order and protect the civilian population in case the United Front would be successful.<ref name="Webster University Press Book" />
 
*[[Islamic Dawah Organisation of Afghanistan|Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan]] - ''Ittehad-e Islami bara-ye Azadi-ye Afghanistan'' - [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]], led by [[Abdul Rasul Sayyaf]]. The party is now known as [[Islamic Missionary Activity|Islamic Dawah]] Organisation of Afghanistan (''Tanzim-e Dahwat-e Islami-ye Afghanistan'').
In early 2001 Ahmad Shah Massoud addressed the [[European Parliament]] in [[Brussels]] asking the [[international community]] to provide [[humanitarian]] help to the people of Afghanistan.<ref name="EU Parliament"/> He stated that the Taliban and [[Al Qaeda]] had introduced "a very wrong perception of [[Islam]]" and that without the support of Pakistan and Bin Laden the Taliban would not be able to sustain their military campaign for up to a year.<ref name="EU Parliament"/> On this visit to Europe he also warned that his intelligence had gathered information about a large-scale attack on U.S. soil being imminent.<ref name="gwu.edu">Defense Intelligence Agency (2001) report http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB97/tal32.pdf</ref>
 
*[[Hezbe Wahdat|Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan]] - ''Hezb-e Wahdat-e Islami Afghanistan'' - Made up of Shia [[Hazara people|Hazaras]] and supported by Iran, once led by [[Abdul Ali Mazari]] then after his death it was led by [[Mohammed Mohaqiq]] and [[Karim Khalili]].
On September 9, 2001, two Arab [[suicide attack]]ers, allegedly belonging to Al Qaeda, posing as journalists, detonated a bomb hidden in a video camera while interviewing [[Ahmed Shah Massoud]] in the Takhar province of Afghanistan. Commander Massoud died in a helicopter that was taking him to a hospital. He was buried in his home village of [[Bazarak, Panjshir|Bazarak]] in the Panjshir Valley.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/world/rebel-chief-who-fought-the-taliban-is-buried.html "Rebel Chief Who Fought The Taliban Is Buried"]</ref> The funeral, although taking place in a rather rural area, was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourning people. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq-zqA1DMWs Sad day] (video clip).
 
*[[Junbish-e Milli-yi Islami-yi Afghanistan|National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan]] - ''Junbish-e Milli-yi Islami-yi Afghanistan'' - Made up of [[Uzbeks]] and former communists, led by [[Abdul Rashid Dostum]], supported by Turkey. Dostum's deputy was [[Abdul Malik Pahlawan]] until his betrayal in 1997 (Malik later rejoined the alliance, but is conflicted with Dostum ever since).
The assassination of Massoud is considered to have a strong connection to the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on U.S. soil which killed nearly 3000 people and which appeared to be the terrorist attack that Massoud had warned against in his speech to the European Parliament several months earlier. [[John P. O'Neill]] was a counter-terrorism expert and the Assistant Director of the FBI until late 2001. He retired from the FBI and was offered the position of director of security at the World Trade Center (WTC). He took the job at the WTC two weeks before 9/11. On September 10, 2001, John O’Neill told two of his friends,
:"We're due. And we're due for something big. ... Some things have happened in Afghanistan [referring to the assassination of Massoud]. I don’t like the way things are lining up in Afghanistan. ... I sense a shift, and I think things are going to happen. ... soon."<ref name="PBS">{{cite web |year=2002 |url =http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/etc/script.html|title =The Man Who Knew | publisher = [[PBS]]}}</ref>
John O'Neill died on September 11, 2001, when the south tower collapsed.<ref name="PBS">{{cite web |year=2002 |url =http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/etc/script.html|title =The Man Who Knew | publisher = [[PBS]]}}</ref>
 
== Legacy ==
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, United Front troops ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul with American air support in [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]. In November and December 2001 the United Front gained control of much of the country and played a crucial role in establishing the post-Taliban interim government of Hamid Karzai in late 2001.
 
[[File:020101-N-2383B-507 ATF Fighter.jpg|thumb|A UIF fighter in the [[Helmand Province]] on 1 January 2002]]
==Human Rights (1997-2001)==
 
The United Front was extremely influential in the [[List of Afghan Transitional Administration personnel|transitional Afghan Government]] of [[Hamid Karzai]]. Notably, Mohammed Fahim became the Vice President and Minister of Defence, [[Yunus Qanuni]] became the Minister of Education and Security Advisor and Dr [[Abdullah Abdullah]] became the Foreign Minister. Most foreign observers expected this dominance to continue and for Fahim or Qanuni to be selected as Karzai's Vice President in the 2004 elections. However, Karzai instead selected [[Ahmad Zia Massoud]], younger brother of the former United Front leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. Karzai easily won the 2004 Presidential election with 55.4% of the vote, followed by three former leaders of the UIF, Quanuni (16.3%), Mohaqiq (11.7%) and Dostum (10%).
The human rights situation during combat was heavily dependent on the specific commander and his troops. The situation for different leaders and their troops of the United Front thus shows sharp contrasts. Also, the quality of life of the Afghan population was heavenly dependent on the specific leader that was directly controlling the area in which they lived. Sharp contrasts could also be witnessed regarding life and structures in those areas.
 
The majority of the alliance is now part of the [[United National Front (Afghanistan)|United National Front]] which is led by Rabbani and includes many former leaders of the UIF such as Vice President Mohammed Fahim, Vice President Ahmad Zia Massoud, Parliamentary Speaker Yunus Qanuni, Chief of Staff Abdul Rashid Dostum, and Minister of Energy Ismail Khan. The United National Front has positioned itself as a "loyal" opposition to Karzai. A number of former UIF members are however loyal to Karzai, notably Abdul Rasul Sayyaf.
'''Area of Massoud'''
 
Some of the military strength of the UIF has now been absorbed into the [[Military of Afghanistan]], while many of the remaining soldiers were disarmed through a nationwide [[disarmament]] program. The existence and strength of the [[Afghan National Army]] has significantly reduced the threat of the former UIF elements attempting to use military action against the new [[NATO]]-backed government. Most of the country's senior military personnel are former members of the UIF, including [[Afghan Ministry of Defense|Defense Minister]] [[Abdul Rahim Wardak]] and General [[Bismillah Khan (Afghanistan)|Bismillah Khan]].
Massoud directly controlled the Panjshir, some other parts of Parwan and Thakar province. Some parts of Badakshan were under his influence while others were controlled by Burhanuddin Rabbani with whom Massoud had some non-violent disputes. (Badakshan is the home region of Rabbani.)
 
== Controversies ==
Human Rights Watch cites no human rights crimes or abuses for Massoud's troops in the period from October 1996 until the assassination of Massoud in September 2001. Massoud created democratic institutions which were structured into several committees: political, health, education and economic.<ref name="Webster University Press Book"/> In the area of Massoud women and girls did not have to wear the Afghan burqa.<ref name="Webster University Press Book"/> They were allowed to work and to go to school.<ref name="Webster University Press Book"/> In at least two known instances Massoud personally intervened against cases of forced marriage.<ref name="Webster University Press Book">{{cite book | last = Marcela Grad| authorlink = Marcela Grad| title = Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader|edition=March 1, 2009 |pages=310 | publisher = Webster University Press| isbn= }}</ref> While it was Massoud's stated conviction that men and women are equal and should enjoy the same rights, he also had to deal with Afghan traditions which he said would need a generation or more to overcome. In his opinion that could only be achieved through education.<ref name="Webster University Press Book">{{cite book | last = Marcela Grad| authorlink = Marcela Grad| title = Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader|edition=March 1, 2009 |pages=310 | publisher = Webster University Press| isbn= }}</ref>
 
Much criticism has been leveled against the United Islamic Front for alleged breaches of human rights, by both Afghan and international groups, such as the 2001 [[Dasht-i-Leili massacre]], which spawned the documentary ''[[Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death]]''. The influence allied warlords have in their territories where they make their own, often draconian, laws is one factor. [[Human Rights Watch]] has released documents alleging internal displacement and executions, widespread rape, arbitrary arrests and [[forced disappearance|"disappearances"]] targeted against the civilian population.<ref>[http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghan-bck1005.htm#uf Press Backgrounder: Military Assistance to the Afghan Opposition<br> (Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, October 2001)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the Taliban to the areas of Massoud.<ref name="EU Parliament (2)">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iCsEnXdIw |title = Massoud in the European Parliament 2001| publisher = [[EU media]]}}</ref> There was a huge humanitarian problem because there was not enough to eat for both the existing population and the refugees. In 2001 Massoud and a French journalist described the bitter situation of the refugees and asked for humanitarian help.<ref name="EU Parliament (2)">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iCsEnXdIw |title = Massoud in the European Parliament 2001| publisher = [[EU media]]}}</ref> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iCsEnXdIw see video]
 
While the Taliban have been most commonly criticized for their perceived role in the cultivation and distribution of [[opium]], areas controlled by the Northern Alliance have also been responsible for the cultivation of opium. A 2001 [[U.N. Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention]] study found that, following a Taliban ban on opium cultivation, opium production in Afghanistan had dropped 91% in 2001, even though the country had earlier accounted for 71% of the world supply. However, opium production in Northern Alliance-controlled areas remained stable.<ref name='Most'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=Most Opium Reported Grown In Northern Alliance Areas | date=October 05, 2001 | publisher= | url =http://www.unwire.org/unwire/20011005/19106_story.asp | work =United Nations Foundation | pages = | accessdate = 2009-11-21 | language = }}</ref>
'''Area of Dostum'''
 
== See also ==
Until the defeat of Dostum by the Taliban in 1998 he controlled the following provinces: Samangan, Balkh, Jowzjan, Faryab, and Baghlan provinces. According to Human Rights Watch many of the violations of international humanitarian law committed by the United Front forces date from 1996-1998<ref name="Human Rights Watch">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghan-bck1005.htm#uf |title = Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, October 2001| publisher = [[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref> when Dostum controlled most of the north.
 
*[[Civil war in Afghanistan (1996-2001)]]
According to Human Rights Watch in 1997 some 3,000 captured Taliban soldiers were summarily executed in and around Mazar-i Sharif by Dostum's Junbish forces under the command of Gen. Abdul Malik Pahlawan. The killings followed Malik's withdrawal from a brief alliance with the Taliban and the capture of the Taliban forces who were trapped in the city.<ref name="Human Rights Watch">{{cite web |year=2001|url =http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghan-bck1005.htm#uf |title = Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, October 2001| publisher = [[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref> With the U.S. War on Terror, troops loyal to Dostum also returned to combat. In December 2001 during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|U.S. invasion of Afghanistan]] between 250 and 3,000 (depending on sources) [[Taliban]] prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers, while being transferred by [[United States|U.S.]] and [[United Front]] (troops loyal to Dostum) soldiers from [[Kunduz]] to [[Sheberghan]] prison through the Dasht-i-Leili desert in [[Afghanistan]]. This became known as the so-called Dasht-i-Leili massacre<ref name=Iol2002-05-02>
*[[United National Front (Afghanistan)]]
{{cite news| url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1020329461747B212| title=Starved, hurt and buried alive in Afghanistan | date=2002-05-02| author=| publisher=[[Independent Online]]| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iol.co.za%2Findex.php%3Fset_id%3D1%26click_id%3D3%26art_id%3Dqw1020329461747B212&date=2009-08-07
*[[Haron Amin]]
| archivedate=2009-08-07| accessdate=2009-08-07}}</ref> In 2009 Dostum denied the accusations.<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/It_Is_Impossible_Prisoners_Were_Abused/1779291.html "'It Is Impossible Prisoners Were Abused' "]</ref><ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/world/asia/18dostum.html Afghan Warlord Denies Links to ’01 Killings "]</ref><ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/A_Response_To_General_Dostum/1779264.html "A Response To General Dostum"]</ref>
 
== References ==
Dostum belonged to those commanders making their own, often draconian, laws. Human Rights Watch has released documents alleging widespread crimes targeted against the civilian population.<ref name="Human Rights Watch"/> Human Rights Watch asked to actively discourage and refuse support in any way to any group or coalition that includes commanders with a record of serious violations of international humanitarian law standards, specifically naming Abdul Rashid Dostum; Haji Muhammad Muhaqqiq, a senior commander of the Hezb-i Wahdat; Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, leader of the erstwhile Ittihad-i Islami; and Abdul Malik Pahlawan, a former senior Junbish commander.<ref name="Human Rights Watch"/>
 
{{Reflist}}
==Drugs (Opium)==
 
== External links ==
While the Taliban have been most commonly criticized for their perceived role in the cultivation and distribution of [[opium]], areas controlled by the United Front have also been responsible for the cultivation of opium. A 2001 [[U.N. Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention]] study found that, following a Taliban ban on opium cultivation, opium production in Afghanistan had dropped 91% in 2001, even though the country had earlier accounted for 71% of the world supply.
 
==Legacy==
 
[[Image:Northern Alliance troops line a runway at Bagram Airbase.jpg|thumb|United Front troops lined up next to the runway at [[Bagram Air Base]] in [[Afghanistan]], December 16, 2001.]]The United Front, from 1996 to 2001, blocked the Taliban, Pakistan and Al Qaeda from gaining total control over all of Afghanistan. Many refugees found shelter in the areas of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]].
 
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, on U.S. soil (which killed 3000 people) ground troops of the United Front ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul. In November and December 2001 the United Front gained control of much of the country. This was facilitated by extensive bombing of Taliban forces and military infrastructure by the United States during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan]]. Had it not been for the United Front the U.S. would have needed to engage hundreds of thousands of ground forces to Afghanistan already in October 2001.
 
The United Front was extremely influential in the [[List of Afghan Transitional Administration personnel|transitional Afghan Government]] of [[Hamid Karzai]] from 2001 until 2004. Notably, Mohammed Qasim Fahim became the Vice President and Minister of Defense, [[Yunus Qanuni]] became the Minister of Education and Security Advisor and Dr. [[Abdullah Abdullah]] became the Foreign Minister. Most foreign observers expected this dominance to continue and for Fahim or Qanuni to be selected as Karzai's Vice President in the 2004 elections. However, Karzai instead selected [[Ahmad Zia Massoud]], younger brother of the former United Front leader [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]. Karzai easily won the 2004 Presidential election with 55.4% of the vote, followed by three former leaders of the UIF, Quanuni (16.3%), Mohaqiq (11.7%) and Dostum (10%).
 
Some of the military strength of the UIF has now been absorbed into the [[Military of Afghanistan]], while many of the remaining soldiers were disarmed through a nationwide [[disarmament]] program. The existence and strength of the [[Afghan National Army]] has significantly reduced the threat of the former UIF elements attempting to use military action against the new [[NATO]]-backed government. Most of the country's senior military personnel are former members of the UIF, including [[Afghan Ministry of Defense|Defense Minister]] [[Abdul Rahim Wardak]] and General [[Bismillah Khan (Afghanistan)|Bismillah Khan]].
 
Some members of the alliance are now part of the [[United National Front (Afghanistan)]] which is led by Rabbani and includes some former leaders of the UIF such as Parliamentary Speaker Yunus Qanuni, Mohammed Fahim, and Abdul Rashid Dostum. The United National Front has positioned itself as a "loyal" opposition to Karzai. Others like Abdul Sayyaf claim to be loyal to Hamid Karzai while, however, following their own agenda. Sayyaf has strong ties to the Saudi establishment and wants to create a strong Wahhabi influence on Afghanistan.
 
Dr. [[Abdullah Abdullah]], a [[doctor of medicine]] and one of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]'s closest friends (who is said to have been close to him politically also), ran as an independent candidate in the [[Afghan presidential election, 2009|2009 Afghan presidential election]] and came in second place. On November 1, 2009, Abdullah, however, quit the [[runoff election]] because of widespread allegations of election fraud against Hamid Karzai.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091101/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan Afghan's Karzai effectively handed 2nd term]</ref> His followers wanted to take to the streets but Abdullah hold them back in order not to endanger the fragile stability of the government. [[Massoud Khalili]], another of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]'s close friends, became ambassador to India and subsequently to Turkey, while the younger brother of Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, serves as ambassador to the United Kingdom. Massoud's ex-commander Bismillah Khan was army chief of staff for a long time rebuilding the Afghan armed forces until he was shifted to the position of interior minister in 2010 by Karzai. One of Massoud's close intelligence agents, [[Amrullah Saleh]], became director of the Afghan National Directorate of Security in 2004 but had to resign in 2010 because of disagreements with Hamid Karzai over how to proceed against the Taliban and Pakistani support to the Taliban.
 
==See also==
*[[Civil war in Afghanistan (1996-2001)]]
*[[United National Front (Afghanistan)]]
*[[Haron Amin]]
 
==External links==
{{commonscat|United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (Northern Alliance)}}
 
*[http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/northern_alliance.htm Northern Alliance at FAS (August 1998)]
;Starving to Death Afghanistan (documentary report March 1996) by Journeyman Pictures/ABC Australia
*[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghan2/Afghan0701-01.htm#P195_43109 Human Rights Watch on the UIF (July 2001)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzPcMB9SQz0 Taliban attack Kabul and Massoud]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1552994.stm Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, BBC, 19 September, 2001]
;Massoud's Last Stand - Afghanistan (documentary report 1997) by Journeyman Pictures/ABC Australia
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvYglyjbHkI Afghanistan in 1997]
;Afghanistan Revealed (documentary film 2001) by National Geographic
;Inside the Taliban (documentary film 2007) by the National Geographic
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpQI6HKV-ZY&feature=related Inside the Taliban]
 
;Other:
*[http://www.orient.uw.edu.pl/balcerowicz/texts/Ahmad_Shah_Masood_en.htm The Last Interview with Ahmad Shah Massoud] Piotr Balcerowicz, early August 2001]
*[http://www.peace-initiatives.com/frame.htm Proposal for Peace, promoted by Commander Massoud, in English] [http://www.peace-initiatives.com/dari.htm in Dari (Persian)]
*[http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/northern_alliance.htm Northern Alliance at FAS]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1652187.stm Who are the Northern Alliance?, BBC, 13 November, 2001]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1552994.stm Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, BBC, 19 September, 2001]
*[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghan2/Afghan0701-01.htm#P195_43109 Human Rights Watch on the UIF]
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
{{War on Terrorism|state=collapsed}}
 
[[Category:Afghan Civil War]]
[[Category:Defunct Islamic organizations]]
[[Category:Military history of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1996]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]]
[[Category:Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992-1996)]]
 
[[af:Noordelike Alliansie]]
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