Mohammad Omar

Mohammad Omar (born c. 1950–62?, near Kandahār, Afghanistan—died April, 2013, Pakistan) was an Afghan militant and leader of the Taliban (Pashto: Ṭālebān [“Students”]) who was the emir of Afghanistan (1996–2001). Mullah Omar’s refusal to extradite al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 that overthrew the Taliban government there. Biographical details about Mullah Omar are sparse and conflicting. He was an ethnic Pashtun of the Ghilzay branch who, reportedly, was...