The Northern Alliance, also known as the United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan (UIFSA), was a coalition of militias seeking to topple the rule of the Taliban throughout Afghanistan.[1] An organization operating under the same name was established in 1992 in opposition to the communist government of then President Najibullah.[2] While victorious, this group disintegrated until September 1996, when Taliban forces captured the province of Kabul.[3] The Northern Alliance became active once again in 1996, serving as a military front assembled by leaders of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The organization was comprised of an ethnically and religiously disparate group of rebel movements fighting a defensive war against the Taliban, including primarily three non-Pashtun ethnic groups-Tajiks, Uzbeks and the Hazaras.[4] The group has had several notable leaders, the most prominent being Ahmad Shah Massoud.[5]

In September 2001, two men, commonly believed to be members of the Taliban or al-Qa’ida, posing as journalists assassinated Massoud, causing the group to lose its strongest leader. While the alliance did initially suffer from the loss, support from allies helped restore its fortunes.[6] The technical and monetary support received from Iran, Russia, India, and Tajikistan; the flow of arms coming from the west; and the coordinating services of special services from the U.S. and the UK from inside Afghanistan, allowed UIFSA troops to finally oust the Taliban from power in Kabul. Ultimately, the Northern Alliance was able to gain control over large part of Afghanistan.[7] This allowed the front to play a crucial role in establishing the post-Taliban government of Hamid Karzai in late 2001 before disintegrating again in December of that same year.[8] View full narrative