| Afghanistan's
key players |
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Ousted
President Burhanuddin Rabbani
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Born
1940
After the ouster of President Najibullah in 1992, Rabbani was
elected by a ruling committee as interim president for one year.
However, he did not resign when his term expired and remained
in power until 1996. Much of his presidency was consumed by
fighting off other factions trying to seize control of the government.
One of his fiercest rivals, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, virtually leveled
the capital Kabul in fierce shelling. In September, 1996, Rabbani
was overthrown by the Taliban militia. However, his government
-- currently based in Mazar-i-Sharif -- continues to be recognized
by the United Nations. |
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Mullah
Mohammed Rabbani
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| When
the Taliban seized Kabul, a six-member ruling council of Muslim
clerics was set up, with Mohammed Rabbani (no relation to Burhanuddin)
appointed its leader. While Rabbani and the ruling council constitute
the public face of Afghanistan, the important decisions are
made by Mullah Mohammed Omar, who resides in the southern city
of Kandahar. |
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Gen.
Rashid Dostum
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| Dostum
commands one of the most powerful armies in Afghanistan, a force
that was allied with President Najibullah prior to his ouster
in 1992. Dostum, sometimes in alliance with the forces of Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, fought sporadically with the Rabbani government.
Today Dostum's Uzbek-dominated militia, along with the remnants
of the former Afghan army form the backbone of the anti-Taliban
Northern Alliance. His forces occupy a large section of the
country's north, centered on the town of Mazar-i-Sharif. |
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Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar
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Born
1940
Hekmatyar, one of the key warlords during the
Soviet occupation, emerged as a formidable enemy of the government
of Burhanuddin Rabbani after the fall of Najibullah in 1992.
Hekmatyar declined a role in the new government and launched
several unsuccessful efforts to seize power by force in Kabul.
Sometimes in alliance with Gen. Rashid Dostum and others, his
force pummeled the capital with rocket attacks, causing unprecedented
damage to much of the city. Hekmatyar was briefly appointed
prime minister as part of an alliance with the government in
the closing days of the Rabbani regime. |
| No
Photo Available |
"Commander
of the Faithful" Mullah Mohammad Omar
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Born
1962
Little is known about Mohammad Omar, the undisputed
ruler of the Taliban. He controls Afghanistan from his hermetic
base in the southern city of Kandahar. Followers of the Taliban
claim that Omar, who, as a top Muslim cleric carries the title
Mullah, studied in Pakistani Islamic schools before joining
the jihad against the Soviets in the 1980s. On April 3rd, 1996,
about 1,000 Muslim clergymen chose Mullah Omar as supreme leader
of the Taliban. In accordance with the Taliban prohibition against
images of the human form, few if any photographs of the leader
exist. |
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Defense
Minister Ahmed Shah Massood
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Born
1953
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan,
Masoud became known as the "Lion of the Panjshir" for his tenacious
defense of the strategic valley. He withstood numerous Soviet
invasions into his territory, but in 1983 concluded a temporary
truce with Soviet forces. Masoud was appointed Defense Minister
after Burhanuddin Rabbani came to the power in 1992. As the
Taliban closed in on the capital in September 1996, Masoud made
a stealthy retreat with the Afghan army, holding up in the same
Panjshir Valley he had so successfully defended against the
Soviets years before. His forces, still in the Panjshir, fight
jointly with Gen. Dostum's troops as part of the Northern Alliance.
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