The Northern Alliance

also referred to as The United Front

A Brief Introduction

The Northern Alliance was instrumental in bringing down Najib's government in April of 1992. The alliance secretly dealt with some members of the Parcham faction in Najib's government which put it (the alliance) in a position to seize control of Kabul single handedly, circumventing the formation of a Peshawer based tanzeem government. However, by mid-1993, due to a struggle for power between Dostam/Hezb-e Wahdat and Mas'ud, the alliance unofficially disintegrated. But, when the Taliban captured Kabul from Mas'ud's forces in September of 1996, the former foes joined hands once again and resurrected their once defunct Northern Alliance.

Who is Who of the Northern Alliance

Bibliography on the Northern Alliance

The Northern Alliance, A record of failures

• A chronology of the on-again, off-again alliance 

• The ever-shrinking "empire"

• The mid 90's: chaos or the law of the jungle

  • Amnesty International's annual report for 1994: A record of shame!

• The failure of the alliance as a political entity

  • The Peshawar Accord of 1993: Fighting over ministerial posts as opposed to forming a national government?

  • Masoud's role as a political leader questioned.

 The Northern Alliance, Iran, and Russia

• Iranian sponsorship: a religious duty or an economic decision

• Russian role in keeping the alliance together

• Supply of weapons continue

  • See recent report by Human Rights Watch

 Analysis: Papers

• A Chance for Peace in Afghanistan, by Peter Tomsen, Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb 2000 (Vol. 79, No. 1) AFGHANISTAN, by  Peter Tomsen - Ahmad Rashid has it wrong. The Taliban's days are, mercifully, numbered.

 Related News

• Blast injures Ahmad Shah Masoud, Sept 9, 2001

• Masoud doesn't rule out dialogue with Taliban.

• Ahmad Shah Masoud's European tour of 2001. (photo from AP shows Dr. Abdullah, Dr. Rawan Farhadi, Ahmad Shah Masoud - left to right)

• Dostum back with Masood.