Kabul, Sep 9 (TIWN) The Afghanistan conflict, which has wrecked the country for decades, for many has been a conflict between the Taliban, the US and NATO forces and the Kabul government as part of the Washington-led "war on terror". But the reality is that Afghanistan has always been a country with representation of different factions and ethnicity, who have rejected or opposed a any legitimate system of any given government.

Ahmad Shah Massoud, commander of the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition, is assassinated by al-Qaeda operatives. The killing of Massoud, a master of guerilla warfare known as the Lion of the Panjshir, deals a serious blow to the anti-Taliban resistance. Terrorism experts believe his assassination assured Osama bin Laden protection by the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks. Expert Peter Bergen later calls Massoud’s assassination “the curtain raiser for the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC.”