afghanistansettled their differences and formed a joint front against the Taliban known
as the Northern Alliance. The Iranians, worried that the Taliban might
extend their jihad into Khurasan province, smuggled Isma‘il Khan back
into Badghis, where he shored up Dostam’s western flank. However,
Dostam’s position was under threat as his alliance with the pahlawans
was beginning to unravel, following a series of ambushes by unknown
assailants on Dostam’s Turkman and Uzbek allies, which culminated with
the assassination of Rasul Pahlawan in June 1996.
The Taliban and the fall of the Northern Provinces and HazarajatInformed sources in Mazar reported that Rasul’s death was an act of
personal revenge by a relative of one of Rasul’s bodyguards, whom he had
executed, but Malik Pahlawan, Rasul’s ambitious half-brother, accused
Dostam of being behind the killing. In an attempt to topple Dostam, Malik
turned to the Taliban in Herat for assistance. In return for agreeing not to
oppose a Taliban advance through the Murghab corridor, Malik accepted
$200,000 and a pledge that he would become the autonomous governor
of the Wilayat-i Shamal-i Afghanistan. In May 1997 Malik lured Isma‘il
Khan to Maimana, where he was arrested by Taliban operatives. Malik’s
militia then surrounded Dostam’s forces in the Maimana garrison, forced
them to surrender and raised the Taliban’s white flag.
Dostam at first did not believe reports that Malik had opened the door
to the Taliban, but when he was told that hundreds of fast-moving pickups
loaded with Taliban were heading for Shibarghan through the Dasht-i
Laili, he rushed to the region to organize defences only to be betrayed by
another erstwhile ally, Bashir Salangi, who controlled access to the Salang
Pass. He accepted a substantial bribe from the Taliban and stood aside
as they poured through the Salang Tunnel. As the militia advanced on
Shibarghan and Mazar from the east and west, Dostam fled to Uzbekistan
and later made his way to Turkey.
On 25 May 1997 Taliban forces rolled into Mazar, where it soon became
evident that they, not Malik, were in charge. As far as the Taliban were
concerned, Mazar was an even greater centre of jahiliyya than Kabul, for
not only was it the last refuge of Parchamis and Khalqis, it was the most
socially liberal urban centre in Afghanistan. The Taliban set about changing
this and enforced rigorous observance of Islamic law at the point of a gun.
All schools and the university were closed, rigorous parda was enforced and
bands of Taliban went from house to house smashing televisions, videos
and cassette players, pulling down satellite dishes and pouring alcohol