Here’s a look at the life of Mullah Mohammed Omar, who is credited with creating the Taliban.
Personal:
Birth date: circa 1958
Death date: circa 2013
Birth place: Afghanistan
Marriages: Had at least three wives.
Children: Had at least five or six children.
Other Facts:
Known as the Commander of the Faithful, Mullah Omar created the Taliban in the mid-1990s, and was its spiritual guide.
United States reward for his capture was $10 million.
Was a rural Islamic cleric in the village of Singhesar before the 1990s. Would hold prayer services in exchange for money in order to provide for his family.
Lost an eye during a fight against the Soviets during their occupation of Afghanistan.
Timeline:
Early 1990s – Becomes the leader of a group of students that eventually assume control of Afghanistan.
1990s – In the wake of the Soviet withdrawal, Omar creates the Taliban to overcome what he sees as Afghanistan’s descent into warlordism and lawlessness.
1996-2001 – Is de facto leader of Afghanistan.
1996 – Enters Kandahar’s grand mosque and removes a rarely seen holy cloth once carried by the Prophet Mohammed and waves it from the roof.
2001 – Rejects pressure from around the world — including from many Muslim countries — not to go ahead with plans to demolish two ancient statues of the Buddha carved into cliffs near the town of Bamiyan.
July 2002 – The United States launches an attack that hits a wedding party near Omar’s extended family’s home in Uruzgan province.
November 16, 2008 – Afghan President Hamid Karzai states that if Mullah Omar agrees to peace talks, the Afghan government will provide security for him.
July 2011 – Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Nujahid denies reports that Mullah Omar is dead, saying that the group’s phones and websites were hacked in order to send out false text messages.
July 29, 2015 – The Afghan government says in a news release that Mullah Omar died in April 2013 in Pakistan, citing “credible information,” and a spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence service tells CNN that Omar died in a hospital in Karachi at that time.
July 31, 2015 – The White House confirms that Omar is dead, but states that “the exact circumstances of his death remain uncertain.”
