How did the Taliban first form in Afghanistan?

The Taliban, meaning "Students" in Persian, emerged in Afghanistan in the fall of 1994. This puritanical Islamic group was led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, a former mujahideen fighter known for his piety and participation in the fight against the Soviet occupation. The movement drew recruits from religious school (madrasah) students in Pakistan and the southern province of Kandahār.1

The Taliban gained prominence by defeating groups that preyed on the transit trade and by ridding Kandahār of corrupt governors. Their rise was fueled by the war-weariness of the Afghan people and supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who sought a stable route through Afghanistan to Central Asia. The Taliban's appeal also lay in uniting Pashtuns resentful of the Tajik-dominated Rabbani government. They eventually captured Kabul in 1996, controlling most of the country by 2001.1