Chapter 2 continues…

The narrow streets of Mazar were filled with corpses and dead bodies were not allowed to be buried for about a week. The UN and ICRC estimated the total deaths in Mazar at around 5,000 to 6,000 but the local sources claimed a much higher number. They also executed eleven Iranian diplomats in an attack on the Iranian consulate.

On the third day after seizing Mazar-e-Sharif, the Taleban forces advanced further northeast and captured the province of Talghan, cutting off the supply line of the opposition from Uzbekistan. After that they focussed their attention on central Afghanistan. This offensive, however resulted in a large solidarity of the Hazaras which helped them to hold back Taleban offensive three times. Hezb-e-Wahdat became a political and military front for the Afghan Hazaras in Afghanistan. The Taleban blocked roads and entrances to the central region creating severe shortage of food and other essential items. After months of air raids, the Taleban launched a decisive attack on Bamyan. Many Hezb-e-Wahdat forces and the civilian population retreated to the mountains and several local commanders surrendered to the Taleban. Taleban forces seized the city on September 3, 1998 and soon after destroyed the giant Buddha statues on the sandstone mountains drawing in a lot of international criticism.

This is how the Taleban established their stronghold in most of the provinces of the country. The military organization of the Uzbeks and Hazaras were destroyed and they started to control almost eighty percent of Afghanistan. The only leader who tactfully handled the Taleban advance was Ahmed Shah Masood. He challenged the Taleban on both political and military fronts. He launched several successful attacks on the north-east of the country in the wake of Iranian deployment of forces along the Iran-Afghan border. His forces captured a large territory bordering Tajikistan and reopened a connection to the outside world. He was subsequently accepted as the military commander of all the anti- Taleban forces in Afghanistan.

To be continued…