in Afghanistan, and reiterates his regional loyalty. Speculation exists that Atta's colorful rhetoric may be linked to the possibility of him running for president, or at the least seeking the leadership of his local political party. He and Dostum fled across the Amu Darya when the Taliban advanced on to Mazar-i-Sharif on August 14, 2021. In October 2021, Atta, Dostum, and others including Yunus Qanuni and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf formed the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in opposition to the new Taliban regime. References Further reading Mukhopadhyay, Dipali. "Disguised warlordism and combatanthood in Balkh: the persistence of informal power in the formal Afghan state." Conflict, Security & Development 9, no. 4 (2009): 535–564. External links Ustad Atta Mohammad Noor visits elementary school in Seattle Mujahideen members of the Soviet–Afghan War Governors of Balkh Province Living people Afghan Tajik people Jamiat-e Islami politicians People from Balkh Province 1965 births