Afghan Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance (who prefer the title United Front) are a group of factions who had the common goal of toppling the Taliban regime that was formerly in power in Afghanistan. They fought against the Taliban control that had expanded from Kandahar in 1994 to catpure most of Afghanistan by September 2001.
In November and December of 2001, the Northern Alliance 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 2001 U.S. Attack on Afghanistan.
Many 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. Some factions are from the former mujahedin, others from different minority groups, and other forces including remnants of the former Soviet-backed Communist government).
The Northern Alliance enjoys support from India, while the Taliban were close to Pakistan until the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack when Pakistan backed off due to pressure and the hope of debt relief.
The political leader of the alliance is Burhanuddin Rabbani. There are several military leaders controlling different factions within the alliance, including Abdul Rashid Dostum, General Mohammed Fahim and Ismail Khan. Ahmed Shah Massoud was the main military leader and an important political figure in the alliance until his death on (September 13, 2001), following an attack by asassins four days before on September 9.