Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Masood was the victim of an assassination attempt. Two men passing as Arab journalists came to interview. When the Arab with a video camera switched on his camera, a bomb in the camera exploded, killing the cameraman and at least one Masood aide. The other Arab was killed by Masood's bodyguards. If Masood dies, the Northern Alliance is in big trouble. Masood has long been a prominent military and political leader in Afghanistan.  Masood was one of the more successful leaders in the resistance to the Soviet invasion of the 1980s. He now holds together the Northern Alliance of minority (non Pushtun) peoples resisting the Taliban. Masood is an exceptional battlefield tactician and has constantly defeated larger Russian and Taliban forces.  Meanwhile, Taliban troops attacked Northern Alliance positions near Bagram air base, 50 kilometers north of Kabul.