1.   Abdullah said the northern alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani was willing to step aside, holding no official role in the interim government.

2.   But diplomats in the region and U.N. officials say that there is little likelihood that the northern alliance could ever return to power in Afghanistan.

3.   If you fought against the northern alliance, you would be killing Muslims, I said.

4.   Northern alliance military leader Ahmad Shah Massood was assassinated last month by suicide bombers.

5.   Northern alliance troops have parked a truck across the entrance to the hotel.

6.   Northern alliance forces that control the air base fired multiple-rocket launchers at Taliban forces that control the surrounding mountains and the Taliban returned fire.

7.   Rabbani, the Northern alliance leader, strongly opposes the king as head of state.

8.   Rumsfeld said they were part of the special forces helping the northern alliance contain a riot of Taliban prisoners.

9.   She pointed to the assassination of northern alliance leader in September by killers posing as journalists.