In 1998, 11 Iranians, among them nine diplomats, died when the Taliban captured the town of Mazar-I-Sharif from opposition forces led by Ahmad Shah Masoud.

ECONOMIST: The Taliban��s useful neighbour

The commander of the opposition alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, is a doughty fighter, but he has been forced back to the mountainous north-east of the country, where he relies on tenuous supply lines.

ECONOMIST: Afghanistan

First, they underestimated the strength of General Dostam's one-time ally, Ahmad Shah Masoud, who continues to hold out in the mountains and high passes of the Panjshir Valley, in the east of the country.

ECONOMIST: The battle for Afghanistan