The Islamic State of Afghanistan was the name of the state of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 after the collapse of the communist regime, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...

, in 1992. In 1996, the country was renamed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001...

 by the Taliban, after seizing control of the majority of the country. The United Front (United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, UIF), known in the West as the Afghan Northern Alliance

Northern Alliance

The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group...

, was created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan that same year. It was the legitimate representative of Afghanistan in the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 until 2001, when it became the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.