Abdullah, Abdullah. Shura-e-Nazar; close companion of Ahmad Shah Massoud; former minister of foreign affairs under Hamid Karzai; runner-off in 2009, 2014, and 2019 presidential elections.
Agha, Tayyab. Mullah Omar’s secretary; chief of the Taliban political commission, 2009–2015; led talks with the United States.
Allawi, Ayad. Shi’a and former Ba’athist; conspired against Saddam Hussein; named head of Iraqi National Accord Party; president of the Governing Council of Iraq in 2003, interim prime minister, 2004–2005; vice president, 2014–2015.
al Qaeda (AQ). A Sunni terrorist organization; founded by Osama bin Laden; based in Sudan, then fled to Afghanistan in 1996; orchestrated the 9/11 attacks; led by Ayman al-Zawahiri after bin Laden’s death.
al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Founded in 1999 as “Tawhid wal-Jihad”; renamed after pledging allegiance to al Qaeda in 2004; grew into ISIS.
Ba’ath Party. Sunni Arab party founded by Saddam Hussein.
bin Laden, Osama. Founder of al Qaeda; fought during Soviet-Afghan War; orchestrated 9/11 attacks; killed by US special forces on May 1, 2011.
Blair, Tony. UK prime minister, 1997–2007.
Brahimi, Lakhdar. UN special envoy for Afghanistan, 2001–2004; chairperson of the 2001 Bonn Conference.
Bremer, L. Paul. US diplomat; led the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, 2003–2004.
Bush, George W. 43rd US president, January 2001–January 2009.
Casey, George. US Army general; commander of MNF-I from 2004 to 2007; succeeded by David Petraeus.
Clinton, Hillary. US secretary of state, 2009–2013.
Crocker, Ryan. US ambassador to Syria, 1999–2001; acting US ambassador to Afghanistan, 2002; US ambassador to Pakistan, 2004–2007; US ambassador to Iraq, 2007–2009; US ambassador to Afghanistan, 2011–2012.
Dobbins, James. US ambassador to Afghanistan, 2001–2002; special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2013–2014.
Fahim, Mohammad Quassim. Formerly Ahmad Shah Massoud’s deputy, led Northern Alliance after Massoud’s death in 2001; vice president of Afghanistan from 2009 until his death in 2014.
Franks, Tommy. US Army general; CENTCOM commander, 2000–2003.
Gates, Robert. US secretary of defense, 2006–2011, covering both the Bush and Obama administrations.
Grossman, Marc. US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2011–2012.
Haqqani network. Afghan insurgent group within the Taliban; designated by United States as a terrorist organization in 2012 for alleged ties to al Qaeda.
Hekmatyar, Gulbuddin. Pashtun; founded Hizb-i-Islami during Soviet-Afghan War; fought Afghan civil war, 1993–1996; as prime minister in 1996 he bombed Kabul; led HiG insurgency, 2004–2014.
Hill, Chris. US ambassador to Iraq, 2009–2010.
Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin (HiG). Founded in 1975 by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; one of the Peshawar Seven during the Soviet-Afghan War; fought against ISA in Afghan civil war, 1993–1996; fought against United States and Afghan government, 2004–2014.
Holbrooke, Richard. US diplomat who served as ambassador to the United Nations, 1999–2001; special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2009 until he died in 2010.
Hussein, Saddam. Sunni; Iraqi president, 1979–2003; executed in 2006.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The official name of the Taliban.
Islamic State of Afghanistan. The so-called warlord government, 1992–1996.
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Salafi terrorist organization that emerged in 2014 led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, 2014–2017.
Jamiat-e-Islami. Founded by Burhanuddin Rabbani; supported by India.
Karzai, Hamid. Pashtun tribal leader; returned to Afghanistan during OEF to fight the Taliban; president of Afghanistan, 2004–2014.
Khalilzad, Zalmay. US special envoy for Bonn Conference; US ambassador to Afghanistan, 2003–2005; US Ambassador to Iraq, 2005–2007; appointed special representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation in 2018; negotiated February 2020 US-Taliban agreement.
al-Maliki, Nouri Kamal. Shi’a; Iraqi prime minister, 2006–2014.
Massoud, Ahmad Shah. Founded Shura-e-Nazar during the Soviet-Afghan War; led Northern Alliance against Taliban; killed by al Qaeda on September 9, 2001.
McChrystal, Stanley. US Army general; led the Joint Special Operations Command from 2003–2008; commanded ISAF, 2009–2010; succeeded by David Petraeus.
Northern Alliance. A military front against the Taliban government led by Ahmad Shah Massoud; partnered with the United States in 2001 during OEF.
Obama, Barack. 44th US president, January 2009–January 2017.
Odierno, Raymond. US Army general; succeeded Petraeus as MNF-I commander in 2008–2010.
Omar, Mullah Mohammad. Insurgent during Soviet-Afghan War; founded the Taliban in 1994; died in 2013.
Peshawar Seven. Alliance of seven mujahideen parties who fought against the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War; six parties formed the Islamic State of Afghanistan.
Petraeus, David. US Army general; commander of MNF-I, 2007–2008; commander of the US Central Command, 2008–2010; commander of ISAF, 2010–2011.
Rabbani, Burhanuddin. Tajik; founded Jamiat-e-Islami during Soviet-Afghan War; president of Afghanistan, 1992–1996; killed September 2011.
Rice, Condoleezza. US national security advisor, 2001–2005; US secretary of state, 2005–2009.
Richards, Sir David. UK Army general; commander of ISAF, 2006–2007.
Rumsfeld, Donald. US secretary of defense, 2001–2006.
Sadrists. Followers of Muqtada al-Sadr.
al-Sadr, Muqtada. Shi’a. Founded Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM), opposed US presence in Iraq.
Shura-e-Nazar. “Supreme Council of the North”; created by Ahmad Shah Massoud in 1984; aligned with Jamiat during Soviet-Afghan War; de facto leader of the Northern Alliance.
Taliban. “Religious students” in Pashtu; founded by Mullah Mohammad Omar in 1994; ousted ISA in 1996; ruled Afghanistan, 1996–2001; harbored al Qaeda.
Talabani, Jalal. Sunni; founded Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to promote Kurdish rights and democracy in Iraq; Iraqi president, 2006–2014; died in 2017.
Tawhid wal-Jihad. See al Qaeda in Iraq.
al-Zarqawi, Abu Musab. Jordanian; founded AQI; killed by US special operations forces in 2006.