Following the September 11 attacks in 2001 , Mazar-i-Sharif was the first Afghan city to fall to the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance ( United Front ) . The Taliban 's defeat in Mazar quickly turned into a rout from the rest of the north and west of Afghanistan . After the Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2001 , the city was officially captured by forces of the Northern Alliance . They were joined by the United States Special Operations Forces and supported by U.S. Air Force aircraft . As many as 3,000 Taliban fighters who surrendered were reportedly massacred by the Northern Alliance after the battle , and reports also place U.S. ground troops at the scene of the massacre . The Irish documentary '' Afghan Massacre : The Convoy of Death '' investigated these allegations . Filmmaker Doran claims that mass graves of thousands of victims were found by United Nations investigators . The Bush administration reportedly blocked investigations into the incident
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Mazar-i-Sharif