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Revision as of 13:34, 22 December 2005 by MJCdetroit (talk | contribs) (→Factions)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Northern Alliance is a term used by Al-Qaeda, Taliban and their allies to identify their enemies in Afghanistan. Afghanistan had a UN recognized government led by Burhanuddin Rabbani, when it was dislodged from the capital Kabul it continued leading the war against the Taliban from the northern mountains of the country. The then Afghan government adopted a political strategy to unite all warring factions that did not recognize the government, under the banner of United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan to fight off their common enemy, the Taliban regime that had taken power in Afghanistan. They fought against the Taliban control that had expanded from Kandahar in 1994 to capture most of Afghanistan by September 2001. UIFSA was headquartered in Panjshir. Taliban and the three countries that had recognized their regime, Pakistan, UAE and the Saudi Arabia referred to the UIF as NA Northern Alliance in order to belittle it. The Western Media preferred to use NA because they did not want their people to know that the US/UK governments were siding with the Former Mujahedin who were also Moslem fundamentalists. To date the US backed government has not been able to get rid of these former Mujahedin from the government. It was the influence of these Fundamentalist Mujahedin that shaped the Afghan constitution into a modern Islamic constitution with Sharia Law as the central pillar of it.
Factions
The UIF was comprised of roughly five of the factions of mujahedin fighters. Iran and Turkey considered there to be seven factions in total. These groups are:
- Islamic Party of Afghanistan - Jamiat-I Islami-yi Afghanistan - Made up of mainly Persian-speaking Tajiks, led by Burhanuddin Rabbani. In later years as the capital was lost and the situation was purly militristic Rabbani had little influence compared toAhmed Shah Massoud who was the main military leader.
- Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan - Hizb-I Wahdat-I Islami-yi Afghanistan - Made up of Shia Hazaras, once led by the martyred Abdul Ali Mazari, supported by Iran
- National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan - Junbish-I Milli-yi Afghanistan - Made up of Uzbeks and former communists, led by Abdul Rashid Dostum, supported by Turkey
- Islamic Movement of Afghanistan - Harakat-i-Islami-yi Afghanistan - Shia, led by Ayatollah Muhammad Asif Muhsini
- Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan - Ittihad-I Islami Bara-yi Azadi - Led by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Many members are ethnic Tajiks (which may be a factor in Tajikistan's willingness to help the United States in the conflict), Uzbeks and Hazaras - ethnic minorities in Afghanistan. The factions in the Front consist of members from the former mujahedin, others from different minority groups and remnants of the former Soviet-backed communist government.
The UIF enjoyed support from many countries with political and idealogical interests in Afghanistan , Taliban were close to Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia until the September 11, 2001 attacks but this support waned in the wake of the American threats to impose economic sanctions and carry out military retaltiation against sympathizers of Taliban.
United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan
United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan was supported by Russian, Indian, Iranian, Tajik, Chinese and European governments. Their military leader is Ahmed Shah Massoud, who largely operated from Tajikistan and Panjshir. UIF controls provinces like Badakshan, Kapisa, Takhar and parts of Parwan, Kunar, Nuristan, Laghmaan, Samangan, Qunduz, Ghor and Bamian. Almost all of these provinces are non Pushtun. The UIF fought the Taliban for several years before defeating them in November, 2001. Their victory was largely a result of a United States led bombing and special forces campaign in support of UIF ground troops.
The UIF consists of former Mujahideen groups. Most famous commanders in UIF are Ahmed Shah Massoud, Barhanuddin Rabani, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Karim Khalili, Sayyaf, Ismael Khan, and a little bit by Engineer Gulbudin Hekmatyar.
They currently do not have as much power as in the past because they have been partially disarmed. In may 2005 more than 60% of the militiamen from the UIF were disarmed by United Nations troops and the Afghan National Army. Hamid Kazai said he would disarm all militias and form a 70000 Strong Afghan Army by 2007. Hamid Karzai promised the people of Afghanistan that he would bring criminal commanders into justice.
Hamid Karzai also announced in 2005 that now the Afghan Army is strong enough to defend their homeland from any kind of foreign involvement in Afghanistan's internal affairs.
History
The mujahedin predecessors of the UIF forces previously showed themselves unable to rule effectively, turning on each other after they took control in Kabul in 1992 from the Soviet-backed regime. This bloody feuding between forces loyal to President Burhanuddin Rabbani and rival factions ultimately cleared the way for the Taliban conquest in 1996.
Three ethnic groups dominated the UIF, the Tajiks, who make up 27% of Afghanistan's population and are the second largest ethnic group, and the Hazara and the Uzbeks, who both make up about 9% of the population. From the Taliban conquest 1996 until November 2001 the UIF controlled roughly 30% of Afghanistan's population.
The political leader of the alliance was Burhanuddin Rabbani, however he was little more than a figurehead for the military commmanders. Ahmed Shah Massoud served as the UIF's Minister of Defence and was by far its most visible and powerful figure. He personnally commanded around 10,000 of the UIF's estimated 40,000 troops. Massoud's troops were also the best trained and best equipped that the UIF had. Several other important military leaders controlled different factions within the alliance, including Abdul Rashid Dostum, General Mohammed Fahim, and Ismail Khan.
On September 13 2001 it was confirmed that the Ahmed Shah Massoud had died, following an attack by Al-Qaeda assassins posing as journalists four days earlier on September 9. Mohammed Fahim, the second ranking Tajik commander succeeded Massoud a few days later.
In November and December of 2001, the UIF was successful in advancing to control much of the country, including the capital Kabul. This was facilitated by extensive bombing of Taliban forces and military infrastructure by the United States during the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan.
The UIF's predecessors were responsible for brutal excesses during the factional civil strife that raged before the Taliban took over most of the country in 1996.
External links
- Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan images of Northern Alliance atrocities
- Amir Butler: Who are the Northern Alliance?