Northern Alliance

The Northern Alliance, officially known as the National United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, was an Afghan military organization which fought the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 during the Third Afghan Civil War. The organization maintained wide international recognition as the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

The group was founded in September 1996, following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, by a number of military commanders such as Ahmad Shah Massoud, Ali Mazari and Abdul Rashid Dostum. The alliance was mainly composed of northern ethnic groups of Afghanistan, such as Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks, though later some Pashtuns were also integrated under the leadership of Haji Abdul Qadir. The alliance's main backer was Iran while the Taliban were extensively supported by Pakistan. Due to receiving less aid than the Taliban, the Northern Alliance lost control of pivotal cities and, by 2001, controlled only about 5% of the country, cornered in the northeast and based in Badakhshan province. Its military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated on 9 September 2001, two days prior to the September 11 attacks in the United States, which were carried out by the Taliban's ally al-Qaeda. In October 2001, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, providing support to Northern Alliance troops on the ground in a short war against the Taliban, which they eventually won in December 2001.