<P> The assassination of Massoud is believed to have a connection to the September 11 attacks on U.S. soil, which killed nearly 3000 people, and which appeared to be the terrorist attack that Massoud had warned against in his speech to the European Parliament several months earlier . John P. O'Neill was a counter-terrorism expert and the Assistant Director of the FBI until late 2001 . He retired from the FBI and was offered the position of director of security at the World Trade Center (WTC). He took the job at the WTC two weeks before 9 / 11 . On September 10, 2001, O'Neill told two of his friends, "We're due . And we're due for something big...Some things have happened in Afghanistan . (referring to the assassination of Massoud) I don't like the way things are lining up in Afghanistan...I sense a shift, and I think things are going to happen...soon ." O'Neill died on September 11, 2001, when the South Tower collapsed . </P> <P> After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Massoud's United Front troops and United Front troops of Abdul Rashid Dostum (who returned from exile) ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul with American air support in Operation Enduring Freedom . From October to December 2001, the United Front gained control of much of the country and played a crucial role in establishing the post-Taliban interim government under Hamid Karzai . </P> <P> On 20 September 2001, U.S. president George W. Bush, speaking to a joint session of Congress, tentatively blamed Al - Qaeda for the September 11 attacks; the president stated that the "leadership of Al Qaeda ha (d) great influence in Afghanistan and support (ed) the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country". Bush then said: "We condemn the Taliban regime", and went on to state, "Tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban", which he said were "not open to negotiation or discussion": </P> <Ol> <Li> Deliver to the U.S. all of the leaders of Al - Qaeda </Li> <Li> Release all foreign nationals that have been unjustly imprisoned </Li> <Li> Protect foreign journalists, diplomats, and aid workers </Li> <Li> Close immediately every terrorist training camp </Li> <Li> Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities </Li> <Li> Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection </Li> </Ol>

When was the taliban driven out of afghanistan