Civil war in Afghanistan ( 1996 – 2001 ) On September 27 , 1996 , the Taliban seized the Afghan capital Kabul and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . The Islamic State of Afghanistan government remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan . The Taliban ' s Emirate received recognition only from Saudi Arabia , Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates . The defense minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan , Ahmad Shah Massoud , created the United Front ( Northern Alliance ) in opposition to the Taliban . The United Front included all Afghan ethnicities : Tajiks , Uzbeks , Hazaras , Turkmens , some Pashtuns and others . Massoud fought for a republic and national consolidation to achieve a lasting peace in Afghanistan . During the conflict , the Taliban received complementary military support by Pakistan and financial support by Saudi Arabia . Pakistan interfered militarily in Afghanistan , deploying battalions and regiments of its Frontier Corps and Army against the United Front . Al Qaeda supported the Taliban with regiments of imported fighters from Arab countries and Central Asia . In the late period of the war of an estimated 45 , 000 force fighting on the side of the Taliban only 14 , 000 were Afghan ( Taliban ) . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > Main participants . Ahmad Shah Massoud ( for the United Front and the Islamic State of Afghanistan ) , Mullah Mohammad Omar ( for the Taliban ) and Osama Bin Laden together with Ayman al - Zawahiri ( for " Al Qaeda " and different Arab interests ) were the main leaders of the war residing in Afghanistan . There were other leaders , mainly from Pakistan ( like Pervez Musharraf and later General Mahmud ) on the one side and from the United Front ( i . e . Haji Abdul Qadir , Rashid Dostum ) on the other side , who , however , were not always present in Afghanistan itself . The quality of life of the Afghan population was heavily dependent on the specific leader that was directly controlling the area in which they lived . Sharp contrast could be witnessed regarding life and structures in different areas . United Front . Ahmad Shah Massoud . Throughout much of its operational history , the United Front was headed by Ahmad Shah Massoud , a Kabul University engineering student turned military leader who played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan , earning him the nickname " Lion of Panjshir " . His followers also call him " Āmer Sāheb - e Shahīd " ( " Our Beloved Martyred Commander " ) . The Wall Street Journal at that time dedicated one of its covers to Massoud calling him " the Afghan who won the Cold War " . Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet - backed government of Mohammad Najibullah , Massoud became the Defense Minister in 1992 under the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani . Following the rise of the Taliban in 1996 , Massoud returned to the role of an armed opposition leader , serving as the military commander of the United Islamic Front ( Northern Alliance ) . Massoud was a deeply religious and spiritual person , who strongly opposed the interpretations of Islam followed by the Taliban or Al Qaeda . A Sunni Muslim he also always carried a book of Sufi - mystic al - Ghazali with him . The Taliban repeatedly offered Massoud a position of power to make him stop his resistance . Massoud declined for he did not fight for the sake of power . He explained in one interview : Massoud was convinced that only a democratic system could ensure a lasting peace in Afghanistan . He wanted to convince the Taliban to join a political process leading towards democratic elections in a foreseeable future . On September 9 , 2001 , two days before the September 11 attacks in the United States , Massoud was assassinated in Takhar Province of Afghanistan by suspected al - Qaeda agents . The funeral , although taking place in a rather rural area , was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourning people . The following year , he was named " National Hero " by the order of Afghan President Hamid Karzai . The date of his death , September 9 , is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan , known as " Massoud Day " . The year following his assassination , in 2002 , Massoud was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize ( which , incidentally , is never awarded posthumously ) . One refugee who cramped his family of 27 into an old jeep to flee from the Taliban to the area of Massoud described Massoud ' s territory as " the last tolerant corner of Afghanistan " . < ref name = " Journeyman Picture / ABC Australia " > < / ref > About his life in Massoud ' s area he stated : " I feel freedom here . I like . . . you know , nobody bothers me . I do my job . I take care of my family . The way which I like I live in this area . " < ref name = " Journeyman Picture / ABC Australia " > < / ref > Massoud had no influence on the lives of people living in the areas of Rashid Dostum who had joined the United Front to fight the Taliban . In the area of Massoud women and girls did not have to wear the Afghan burqa . They were allowed to work and to go to school . In at least two known instances Massoud personally intervened against cases of forced marriage . 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 . Massoud created democratic institutions which were structured into several committees : political , health , education and economic . Still , many people came to him personally when they had a dispute or problem and asked him to solve their problems . Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the Taliban to the areas of Massoud . In 2001 Massoud and famous photographer and former UN ambassador Reza Deghati described the bitter situation of the Afghan refugees and asked for humanitarian help . Abdul Qadir . Haji Abdul Qadir Arsala ( c . 1951 in Jalalabad , Afghanistan – July 6 , 2002 in Kabul , Afghanistan ) ( Arabic : الحاج عبد القادر ) was a prominent Pashtun anti - Taliban leader in the United Front . He was the brother of Abdul Haq , a well - known resistance leader against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan . Qadir ' s family was a traditionally powerful one , with ties to former Afghan king Zahir Shah . Abdul Qadir had a base of power in the east of Afghanistan and was the governor of his home province of Nangarhar before the Taliban took power . Qadir became the Vice President of Afghanistan in the post - Taliban administration of Hamid Karzai . On July 6 , 2002 , Qadir and his son - in - law were killed by gunmen . Another of his sons , Haji Mohammed Zaher , was shot dead in Kabul also in 2002 . Taliban . Mullah Muhammad Omar headed the Taliban forces during the Afghan civil war . Mullah Omar declared himself Amir - ul - Momineen ( Commander of the Faithful ) . He has rarely been photographed and rarely speaks to journalists directly . Many see Mullah Omar as a nominal figure trained and controlled by Pakistan ' s intelligence agency , the ISI . Followers of the Taliban claim that Mullah Omar was born in the central province of Uruzgan , in 1962 . Other sources place his birth in Kandahar , circa 1959 . They also say that he studied in several Islamic schools outside of Afghanistan , especially in Quetta , Pakistan . In the 1980s he joined the resistance against the Soviet invasion . It is believed that he lost his eye fighting the Soviets as a deputy Chief Commander in the Harakat - i Islami party of Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi . In 1994 , Mullah Omar liberated Kandahar from a cruel dictatorial governor in a first appearance of the Taliban movement . Mullah Omar has strong links with another popular figure in world politics : Osama Bin Laden . he is married to one of Bin Laden ' s daughters . Despite several US requests to hand over Osama Bin Laden , Mullah Omar has refused . His current whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be hiding in either Kandahar or Pakistan . Analysis from the Physicians for Human Rights ( PHR ) states : " The Taliban is the first faction laying claim to power in Afghanistan that has targeted women for extreme repression and punished them brutally for infractions . To PHR ' s knowledge , no other regime in the world has methodically and violently forced half of its population into virtual house arrest , prohibiting them on pain of physical punishment . . . " After taking control of the capital city of Kabul on September 26 , 1996 , the Taliban issued edicts forbidding women to work outside the home , attend school , or to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative . In public , women had to be covered from head to toe in a burqa – a body - length covering with only a mesh opening to see and breathe through . Women were not permitted to wear white ( the color of the Taliban flag ) socks or shoes , or shoes that make a noise while they are being walked in . Also , houses and buildings had to have their windows painted over so women could not be seen inside . Women were practically banned from public life , denied access to health care , education , and work and they were not allowed to laugh in a manner they could be heard by others . The Taliban , without any real court or hearing , cut people ' s hands or arms off when accused of theft . Taliban hit - squads from the infamous " Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice " watched the streets conducting brutal , public beatings of people when they saw what they considered as unislamic behavior . Pakistan . General Pervez Musharraf , a retired four - star general who served as Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1998 to 2001 and the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army from 1998 to 2007 , played an instrumental role in drafting Pakistan ' s role in the Afghan civil war . In 2001 , he would go on to become Pakistan ' s military ruler and President as well . General Pervez Musharraf was responsible for sending thousands of Pakistani nationals to fight alongside the Taliban and Bin Laden against Ahmad Shah Massoud . In total there were believed to be 28 , 000 Pakistani nationals fighting inside Afghanistan against the forces of Massoud . 20 , 000 were regular Pakistani soldiers either from the Frontier Corps , 50th Airborne Division or 12th regular army regiments , and an estimated 8 , 000 were militants recruited in madrassa s filling regular Taliban ranks . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > The estimated 25 , 000 Taliban regular force thus comprised more than 8 , 000 Pakistani nationals . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > A 1998 document by the U . S . State Department confirms that " 20 – 40 percent of [ regular ] Taliban soldiers are Pakistani . " The document further states that the parents of those Pakistani nationals " know nothing regarding their child ' s military involvement with the Taliban until their bodies are brought back to Pakistan . " A further 3 , 000 fighter of the regular Taliban army were Arab and Central Asian militants . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > Of roughly 45 , 000 Pakistani , Taliban and Al Qaeda soldiers fighting against the forces of Massoud only 14 , 000 were Afghan ( Taliban ) . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > Lieutenant - General Mahmud Ahmed , the former director - general of Pakistan ' s Inter - Services Intelligence ( " ISI " ) , was responsible for the support to the Taliban . Many of " ISI " officers , such as Lieutenant - General Hamid Gul , Lieutenant - General Naseem Rana , Lieutenant - General Ziauddin Butt and retired Colonel Sultan Amir Tarar , played a major role in the war . The officers provided financial , economic , strategic , and military assistance to the Taliban . Pakistan ' s Combatant forces were led under the military leadership of General Naseem Rana , as he was the principle military commander of entire Pakistan ' s combatant forces . Training of the Taliban was provided by Colonel ( retired ) Tarar and , financial assistance was managed by General ( retired ) Hamid Gul . Major - General Ziauddin Butt served as the intelligence coordinator under General Naseem Rana . In this entire course of the war , all of the leading generals reported to General Naseem Rana who , of course , submitted his evaluation and later brief General Musharraf on the efforts led by him in Afghanistan . General Musharraf also sent young military and paramilitary soldiers under General Naseem to fight against the Northern Alliance , and none of them were told by General Musharraf or General Naseem Rana on why they are being sent to fight the war , on behalf of Taliban , against the enemy who did not declare the war on Pakistan , The Northern Alliance . The Pakistani soldiers fought the war with Khaki Shalwar Qameez , rather than wearing official war uniform , as they were ordered by General Naseem Rana . It was done by General Naseem Rana in an attempt to hide the identity of soldiers being Pakistani , and to avoid national pressure from the Navaz Sharif government and the international pressure from the Western world . Ahmad Shah Masood secretly sent a courier that contacted Navaz Sharif , Prime minister at that time . Details of Pakistan Army and " ISI " ' s involvement were provided to Prime minister Sharif . When Sharif tried to intervene , General Musharraf stopped Sharif , and called Taliban as " valuable assets " and " Front - line defenders of Pakistan " , therefore rejected any orders from Sharif to stop the Pakistan support for Taliban . However , in 2008 , former U . S . Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte had defended General Musharraf , and knew the entire history of " ISI " . John Negroponte clarified that time has been changed and " ISI " is making an effort to fight against terrorism . Observers interviewed by Human Rights Watch in Afghanistan and Pakistan reported that Pakistan Army Aviation Corps " 4th Army Aggressor Squadron " ' s surveillance aircraft assisted Taliban forces during combat operations in late 2000 , and that senior members of Pakistan ' s intelligence agency and army were involved in planning major Taliban military operations . As the war progressed , Pakistan Army deployed its " 50th Airborne Division " and the " Frontier Corps " to provide logistic support to Taliban campaigns against the Massoud ' s forces . Cooperation on Afghanistan with Saudi Arabia . Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have created a deep strategic partnership on a variety of issues one of the more important being Afghanistan . After Musharraf ' s coup in October 1999 , the Saudi capital Riyadh was the first foreign capital Pervez Musharraf visited , to signify the importance he gave to PAK - Saudi relations . President Musharraf honored King Abdullah by conferring upon him Pakistan ' s highest civil award , Nishan - e - Pakistan , in a colorful investiture ceremony at the presidential palace . On Jan 21 , 2007 , the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah conferred the King Abdul Aziz Medallion , the Kingdom ' s top honor , on Pakistani President Gen . Pervez Musharraf during a ceremony at his palace in Riyadh . The first Pakistani leader ever to receive this highest Saudi honor . However , it was Musharaf ' s continuation of Strategic Depth policy emanating from the western Realistic policy follow - up that turned the relatively good peace hopes down in the region as well as caused catastrophic consequences to the rest of the world . Al - Qaeda . Osama bin Laden was a member of the prominent Saudi bin Laden family and the founding leader of Al Qaeda . After the attacks on September 11 , 2001 ( in which 3 000 people died on U . S . soil ) , Osama bin Laden and his organization have been major targets of the United States ' War on Terror . Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2 , 2011 , shortly after 1 a . m . local time by a United States special forces military unit . Ayman al - Zawahiri was the second and last " emir " of Egyptian Islamic Jihad . In 1998 al - Zawahiri formally merged Egyptian Islamic Jihad into bin Laden ' s organization . He is often described as a " lieutenant " to Osama bin Laden , though bin Laden ' s chosen biographer has referred to him as the " real brains " of al - Qaeda . Ayman al - Zawahiri is believed to be hiding in Pakistan ' s Federally Administered Tribal Areas by some analysts while other observers believe he might be hiding in major urban areas in Pakistan or elsewhere . From 1996 to 2001 Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al - Zawahiri became a virtual state within the Taliban state . Bin Laden sent Arab fighters to join the fight against the United Front , especially his so - called 055 Brigade . Arab militants under Bin Laden were responsible for some of the worst massacres in the war , killing hundreds of civilians in areas controlled by the United Front . < ref name = " Ahmed Rashid / The Telegraph " > < / ref > A report by the United Nations quotes eyewitnesses in many villages describing Arab fighters carrying long knives used for slitting throats and skinning people . Meanwhile fighters of Bin Laden ' s Brigade 055 were known for committing collective suicide before running risk of being taken prisoners by enemy forces themselves . Strategic Cooperation with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan ( IMU ) . The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan ( IMU ) is a militant group formed in 1991 with strong ties to Al Qaeda . It is estimated that the IMU in the late 1990s was approximately 2000 men strong , and that they contributed around 600 fighters to the Taliban ' s offensive against Massoud , participating in the siege of Taloqan , where they fought alongside Bin Laden ' s 055 Brigade . They were operating out of bases in Taliban - controlled areas of northern Afghanistan . In 2001 the IMU was largely destroyed while fighting alongside the Taliban against the United States - led coalition forces in Afghanistan . An unknown number of their fighters escaped with remnants of the Taliban to Waziristan in Pakistan where they created a follow - up organization . The IMU ' s longterm leader Tahir Yuldashev was killed as a result of an August 27 , 2009 , U . S . predator airstrike in South Waziristan . Abu Usman succeeded him as the new leader of the IMU . Today there are an estimated 2 , 500 to 4 , 000 IMU fighters based in Pakistan ' s tribal regions and in Afghanistan . Background and history . Taliban rise to power . 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 ) . The Peshawar Accords created the Islamic State of Afghanistan . From the first day of its founding until late 1994 , the newly created Islamic State of Afghanistan ( ISA ) came under attack by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ' s Hezb - i Islami militia armed , financed and instructed by neighboring Pakistan . Afghanistan expert Amin Saikal concludes in " Modern Afghanistan : A History of Struggle and Survival " : Abdul Rashid Dostum and his Junbish - i Milli militia joined an alliance with Hekmatyar in early 1994 . In addition , Saudi Arabia and Iran – as competitors for regional hegemony – supported Afghan militias hostile towards each other . According to Human Rights Watch , Iran was assisting the Shia Hazara Hezb - i Wahdat forces of Abdul Ali Mazari , as Iran was attempting to maximize Wahdat ' s military power and influence . Saudi Arabia supported the Wahhabite Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and his Ittihad - i Islami faction . Conflict between the two militias soon escalated into a full - scale war . The capital city Kabul saw extremely violent fighting during that period . Power was highly decentralized . Meanwhile , southern Afghanistan was neither under the control of foreign - backed militias nor the government in Kabul , but was ruled by local leaders such as Gul Agha Sherzai and their militias . In 1994 , the Taliban ( a movement originating from Jamiat Ulema - e - Islam - run religious schools for Afghan refugees in Pakistan ) also developed in Afghanistan as a politico - religious force , reportedly in opposition to the tyranny of the local governor . In 1994 , the Taliban took power in several provinces in southern and central Afghanistan . In late 1994 , most of the militia factions ( Hezb - i Islami , Junbish - i Milli and Hezb - i Wahdat ) which had been fighting in the battle for control of Kabul were defeated militarily in Kabul by forces of the Islamic State ' s Secretary of Defense Ahmad Shah Massoud . Bombardment of the capital came to a halt . Massoud tried to initiate a nationwide political process with the goal of national consolidation and democratic elections , also inviting the Taliban to join the process . The Taliban declined . They started shelling Kabul in early 1995 but were defeated by forces of the Islamic State government under Secretary of Defense Ahmad Shah Massoud . see video Amnesty International , referring to the Taliban offensive , wrote in a 1995 report : The Taliban ' s early victories in 1994 were followed by a series of defeats that resulted in heavy losses . 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 . The Taliban seized Kabul on September 27 , 1996 , and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . The Islamic State government remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan . The Taliban ' s Islamic Emirate received recognition only from Saudi Arabia , Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates . Creation of the United Front . Ahmad Shah Massoud and Abdul Rashid Dostum , two former archenemies , 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 . 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 . From the Taliban conquest in 1996 until November 2001 the United Front controlled roughly 30 % of Afghanistan ' s population in provinces such as Badakhshan , Kapisa , Takhar and parts of Parwan , Kunar , Nuristan , Laghman , Samangan , Kunduz , Ghōr and Bamyan . This union did not consist of a " Northern Alliance " thus only the " northern states " of Afghanistan , but included resistance forces from all parts and all major ethnicities of the country . Massoud did not intend for the United Front to become the ruling government of Afghanistan . His vision was for the United Front to help establish a new government , where the various ethnic groups would share power and live in peace through a democratic form of government . Taliban massacres . 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 . UN officials stated that there had been " 15 massacres " between 1996 and 2001 . 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 . " The Taliban especially targeted Shias or Hazaras . Many civilians fled to the area of Massoud . The National Geographic concluded : " The only thing standing in the way of future Taliban massacres is Ahmad Shah Massoud . " Excerpts of the war . Panjshir . The Taliban with the support of the Pakistan Army ' s " 13th Regular Army " and the " 50th Airborne Division " launched an aggressive series of military operations against Panjshir and the surrounding areas . The Pakistan Army ' s " 4th Army Aggressor Squadron " provided the reconnaissance intelligence to the " 13th Regular Army " , " 50th Airborne Division " , and the Taliban forces . Meanwhile , Al - Qaida and Arab Brigade s launched their own military campaign to support the Taliban hoping to gain control of the Panjshir Valley . This operation , planned and launched under General Naseem Rana , was well planned , more organized and comprehensively studied by Pakistan Armed Forces . Despite the large series of organized attacks operations led by the General Rana of Pakistan Army and their Taliban allies , they were not able to subdue the Panjshir . Ahmad Shah Massoud , who had defeated the Soviet Union ' s 40th Army in his hometown before , successfully defended the Panjshir Valley , and diverted further assaults led by the " 13th Regular Army " and the " 50th Airborne Division " of Pakistan . Kabul and Kunduz . The Islamic State ' s Secretary of Defense Ahmad Shah Massoud , who still represented the legitimate government as recognized by the international community and the United Nations , in 1997 summoned a conference under his leadership to decide on a future government and prime minister . The Pashtun Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai , who was not affiliated with any party , was the candidate at that time and without dissenting votes was elected as new prime minister . Ghafoorzai ' s program was cordially received by wide sections of the population . A first step towards a new popular government was made . Massoud had the Afghan army equipped with newly acquired military uniforms and advanced after a few large offensive to the gates of Kabul . The alliance pushed forward with tank s , armored personnel carrier s , and heavy weapons into the Bagram airbase , which was the first major victory against the Taliban since they lost Kabul . After making gains north of the capital , they met heavy resistance by Taliban forces inside Kabul . At the same time the new prime minister ' s airplane crashed over Bamiyan . By Ghafoorzai ' s death , Massoud lost his hope for a stable government in Kabul . Massoud withdrew his troops from the north of Kabul , since he did not intend to march into Kabul without having formed a government before which would be acceptable for all especially for the civilian population since that would have harbored the danger of a repetition of the 1992 – 1994 period . Approximately 2 , 000 Taliban fighters in Kunduz were surrounded by forces of Massoud . These Taliban forces were able to survive when they allied with one of Abdul Rasul Sayyaf ' s former Ittihad - i Islami commanders . Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi , who was among these men , led an attack on July 4 , 1997 against the capital of Takhar , Taloqan , which was under the control of Massoud . Although the attack failed it produced difficulties for the United Front on another front . Mazar - i Sharif . In May 1997 , angry at Dostum ' s alleged involvement in the assassination of his brother , Abdul Malik Pahlawan and other commanders such as Qari Alam Rosekh , General Abdul Majid Rouzi and Ghafar Pahlawan met with Taliban commanders Mullah Abdul Razzaq and Mullah Ghaus in Baghdis . They agreed that Malik would betray Dostum , capture Ismail Khan and take control of the city of Mazar - e Sharif . Malik attacked Dostum ' s forces in Jawzjan on May 22 , 1997 , and occupied Dostum ' s stronghold of Sheberghan . Most of Dostum ' s commanders defected and joined Malik and even some of his air force pilots joined the battle on Malik ' s side . Although the exact details of the agreement were not clear , it appears as if the Taliban had failed to take their part . On May 25 , the Taliban entered Mazar - e Sharif and began to close schools , offices and impose Sharia law . In the Hazara sections of the city , particularly in the north - east and east areas around Syedabad , local Hezb - i Wahdat commanders and armed " civilians " began to enlist themselves in resistance . On May 22 , 1997 fighting also broke out between Dostum ' s forces and the Taliban in Andkhoy and Khwaja Dokoh . Massoud sent reinforcements . On May 30 , heavy fighting broke out around Syedabad . Taliban fighters were ambushed . At this point , Malik changed allegiances allying his forces with Hezb - i Wahdat , taking thousands of Taliban soldiers as prisoners in Maimana , Sheberghan and Mazar - e Sharif . The Taliban prisoners were summarily executed , reportedly under the supervision of Malik ' s brother General Gul Mohammad Pahlawan . Estimates of the total number killed were 3000 . Furthermore Junbish commanders such as Ghulam Haidar Jawzjani were also captured and killed , along with Salam Pahlawan and Rais Omar Bey . In the months following the defeat of the Taliban in Mazar - e Sharif , Malik then proceeded to reincorporate troops loyal to Ismail Khan into the city ' s administration . By July 1998 the Taliban had taken control of much of the area north of Herat , including the road linked to Maimana . On August 8 , 1998 , the Taliban re - entered Mazar - e Sharif . Some Hezb - i Islami forces joined the Taliban during that time encircling the front lines of Hezb - i Wahdat at Qalai - Zaini - Takhta Pul . About 1 , 500 – 3 , 000 Wahdat fighters were trapped and killed by the Taliban and Hezb - i Islami . Senior commanders of Wahdat such as Muhammad Muhaqiq evacuated by helicopter . Junbish - i Milli infighting between Dostum ' s forces and those of Malik furthermore created opportunities for the Taliban . The Taliban were able to surround Mazar - i Sharif from the rear , capturing Hairatan directly across from Termez on September 20 . The Taliban then proceeded to enter the city where they executed approximately 4 , 000 civilians mostly of Hazara ethnic or Shia religious background . The Taliban , for the next 6 days were reported to have gone door to door looking for male Hazara Shias and then subsequently executing them . Thousands of prisoners were transported by both sides in metal transport truck containers were many suffocated or died of heat stroke . One Taliban hit - squad , Sipah - i Sahaba , captured the Iranian consulate where they shot dead one journalist and 8 Iranian intelligence and diplomatic officers . Return of Ismail Khan . In March 1997 , Ismail Khan ( United Front ) returned from Iran . He led approximately 2 , 000 fighters to fight the Taliban in Badghis and push them to approximately 20 kilometers north of the Mughrab river leading to Qala - i Naw . The Taliban ' s advance was halted but significant gains could not be made by either side . Iran - Taliban Crisis . Among those killed in Mazar - i Sharif were several Iranian diplomats . Others were kidnapped by the Taliban , touching off a hostage crisis that nearly escalated to a full - scale war , with Iran amassing 250 , 000 Iranian soldiers on the Afghan border . It was later admitted that the diplomats were killed by the Taliban , and their bodies were returned to Iran . In September the Taliban claimed that Iran had violated its airspace . Later Iran claimed minor clashes had occurred between the Taliban and Iran after the Taliban had allegedly led a raid into eastern Iran , though the Taliban denied it led the raid . Eventually with UN mediation , the tensions cooled . Assassination of Massoud . In early 2001 Massoud addressed the European Parliament in Brussels asking the international community to provide humanitarian help to the people of Afghanistan . 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 . 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 . 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 . Commander Massoud died in a helicopter that was taking him to a hospital . In over 26 years he had survived dozens of other assassination attempts by the Soviet KGB and the Afghan communist intelligence service , the Pakistani ISI , Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , the Taliban and Al Qaeda . Defeat of the Taliban in Kabul . For many days the United Front denied the death of Massoud for fear of desperation among their people . In the end the slogan " Now we are all Massoud " became a unifying battle cry . After the attacks of September 11 , 2001 on U . S . soil , which killed nearly 3 , 000 people , ground troops of the United Front ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul . In November and December 2001 and the United Front gained control of much of the rest of the country . This was facilitated by extensive bombing of Taliban forces and military infrastructure by the United States military during the U . S . - led attack on Afghanistan .