Mullah Omar: From guerilla fighter to Taliban leader – shaping Afghanistan’s destiny

Mullah Omar a prominent revolutionary leader and a guerilla fighter from Afghanistan changed the history of Afghan politics and governance system. From a fearless guerilla fighter to a strategic commander, and from a commander to a leader of a nation, Mullah Omar’s legacy became the catalyst that reshaped the destiny of Afghanistan, leaving an indelible mark on the course of history. He created an organization named Taliban which became the most powerful force in the country. His efforts and policies significantly influenced the neighborhood and the world at large. Pakistan was the country most deeply affected by his activities. His creation continues to shape the region, giving birth to both positive and negative outcomes at the same time.
He was born in Kandahar and belonged to the Hotak tribe. His father Maulvi Muhammad Ayaz Akhund, passed away when Mullah Omar was young, and he was taken care of by his uncle Maulvi Muhammad Anwar. Mullah Omar lived in Oruzgan and got the primary education under the guidance of his uncle. Mullah Omar was gaining his Islamic education and studying the Hanafi Fiqh book “Hidayah” that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan took place. He abandoned his studies and took up arms to fight against the invaders just like his fellow students and Maulvis. That’s why he was called “Mullah” – a title commonly given in central Asian countries to those who hadn’t completed their formal religious education.
In the beginning, in 1978, when his age was approximately 18 years old, the Soviet invasion took place. Just like his other fellow students and Maulvis, he took up arms to fight against the invaders. He started his jihadi services in Oruzgan, his hometown. While he was fighting against soviet in the region he was advised by his uncle Muhammad Anwar to change his base of operation to the periphery of Kandahar. He chose Panjwai for his operations as the road running from here was used as the main supply route by the Russians. It was during a battle in Panjwai that Mullah Omar lost his eye. Known for his bravery, intelligence, and military skills as a skilled warrior, he earned the respect of his peers as a capable and respected commander.
Initially, Mullah Omar began his regular jihadi services with Maulvi Muhammad Nabi Muhammadi’s organization, Harkat-e-Inqilab Islami, where he was appointed as regional commander. Harkat-e-Inqilab Islami, once one of the prominent jihadi groups in Afghanistan, was founded in late December 1979 or early 1980 in Peshawar. The organization was created in response to the Soviet invasion and remained a powerful force until the withdrawal of Soviet troops. After the USSR’s retreat and the defeat of Babrak Karmal’s remnants, General Najibullah maintained control with the help of advanced weaponry provided by the Soviets. The prolonged conflict eventually led to the fall of the communist regime as its leadership was forced to leave the government.
Following the USSR’s withdrawal and the defeat of communist, a new conflict emerged, a devastating civil war. The groups which fought together as brother-in-arms were now against each other. The Afghan people who had endured years of Soviet brutality were now bitter adversaries. After the victory the words of Imam Al-Haramain still resonated in the years of people: “Ahamdulillah! This year, Allah has blessed the Muslims with a gift in the form of Afghanistan. Next year, Muslims will receive the gift of Palestine’s liberation in the form of the conquest of Al-Quds.” Yet these celebrations were temporary as the groups were going into a new civil war for power.
Meanwhile, disappointed by the lack of support from the Russians, General Najibullah, after negotiations with UN representatives Benon Sevan, transferred power to Dostum and Massoud. Abdu ul Rasheed Dostam’s with Ismaili Militia who were led by Syed Mansoor Naderi had transferred their alliances. After forming a caretaker council he transferred the control of Mazar Sharif to Ahmad Shah Massoud. The council was named Qaumi Islami Tehreek or Jombash-e-Milli Islami. The Jozjan Militia of Dostum was fighting against Mujahedeen with the help of Russian arms. The Ismaili Militia helped Dostam to take control of Mazar Sharif. There were Iran backed two prominent Shia militia organizations Harkat-e-Islami and Hizb-o-Wahdat which helped Dostam in taking over of Mazar Sharif. With the coming in power of Ozbak and Shia militias in this region, Iran’s influence grew stronger in the northern region of Afghanistan.
Amidst the struggle, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an adversary of Ahmad Shah Massoud, sought to take control Kabul. To achieve this, he formed an alliance of six Mujahideen organizations, creating a council of 38 members called the “Inqilabi Council”, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar excluded the name of Massoud from this alliance. In response, Massoud established his own alliance with his generals and followers, forming the first ever Tajik alliance in history, known as “Islami Jihad Council”, with the aim of capturing Kabul. The civil war intensified as various groups clashed and stated their struggle to take over the Capital. Shia militias, including Hazara groups, began fighting against “Ittihad-e-Islami” after Prime Minister Abdul Saboor, on July 17, 1992, ordered the inclusion of Hizb-e-Wahdat in the leading council, which was challenged by others. On July 18, Dostum’s militia was ordered to leave Kabul but they ignored the orders, after that by July 19, clashes started again in Kabul between Shia militia Hizb-e-Wahdat and Dostum’s forces.
On December 4, 1992, new fighting erupted between guerillas of Hekmatyar and Massoud. Amidst these conflicts frequent negotiations were attempted and many clashes erupted simultaneously. Multiple groups continued fighting against each other, leading to brutal bloodshed, massacres, rapes, and other un-Islamic acts. The worsening conditions plunged the country further into the oven of chaos.
In the midst of these crises, Mullah Omar, who was completing his remaining studies at a madrassa in Mewand, realized that the civil war was escalating and that power-hungry leaders were committing un-Islamic acts, all while tarnishing the name of Islam. In June 1994, as Mullah Omar himself recalled, he began his campaign. Riding a motorcycle with a friend he visited several madrassas in Kandahar and its surroundings, gathering 53 students, known as “Talib” in Pashto. They gathered in Sand-e-Hisar, near Kandahar, where Mullah Omar called on them to join his cause of liberating Afghanistan from the warlords and establishing an Islamic System based on the true teachings on Islam.
Ideologically the Taliban belongs to Sunni sect and are closely associated with the Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic seminary in India. The Deobandi School of thoughts emphasizes a strict interpretation of Islamic law and advocates for a return to what it considers the purist practices of Islam. The ideological foundation has shaped the Taliban’s policies and actions, particularly their commitment to establishing an Islamic state governed by their interpretation of Sharia law. The majority of Taliban are the graduates of the Deobandi seminaries in Pakistan. Mullah Omar was awarded an honorary doctorate by Darul Uloom Haqqania, situated in Akora Khattak, and Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, located in Karachi, as Mullah Omar has not completed his education due his revolutionary and political efforts. The students of these seminaries, spanning from Pakistan to Afghanistan has a special bond between them and the same was the case with Mullah Omar’s Taliban. The Sharia code of conduct that Taliban follows is the one inspired by Deobandi Madaris. The link between Deobandi school and Taliban is ideological and spiritual.
Significantly, Pakistani SSG Command and ISI operative Colonel Imam was the one who trained Afghan Mujahedeen during Soviet invasion but after that he is said to be the one who trained Mullah Omar and his fighters. He served as a facilitator and provider and a link between Taliban an outsiders. Owing to his deep involvement in Afghan and Talban affairs he earned the name of “Godfather of Taliban”. On 24 October, 1994, Pakistan’s organization National Logistics Cell’s 30 trucks of medicines were passing through Spin Boldak toward Turkmenistan. The security was with Colonel Imam. The trucks were captured by Afghan fighters in the area of Takhta Pul before reaching Kandahar. Pakistan Army helped Taliban in releasing those trucks, allowing them to proceed onward. British writer Peter Marsden referred to it as the starting point of the Taliban. Ahmad Khursheed writes that some days before this incident, around 200 students from Kandahar and Pakistan attacked Spin Boldak military bases. They pushed back Hekmatyar’s fighters and successfully captured Spin Boldak. After many years The Colonel Imam was killed by Asian Tigers the Punjabi Taliban group in FATA after abducting him with two others in 2011 for his involvement in Afghan war and helping Americans.
The origin of Mullah Omar’s rise to prominence and fame can be traced back to two key events: one was in spring of 1994 while he was residing in Sang-e-Sar, local residents approached him with a plea for assistance. They told him that a local commander had abducted two teenage age girls, had shaved their heads and are subjected to rape and abuse. He with fellow 30 students attacked the camp and freed the girls. The second incident further solidified his reputation was when two local Commanders in Kandahar, engaged in a violent dispute over a young boy due to their homosexual behavior, escalated their conflict into a battle that caused widespread civilian casualties. Intervening decisively, he held an attack against the commanders, rescued the boy and restored the order.
The actions earned him significant local support and established his reputation as a defender of oppressed. Individuals from different regions began seeking his help to free them from the brutalities of local commanders. He became the Robin Hood of Afghanistan. However, unlike the Robin Hood narrative, he sought no material or personal gain. Instead, his only request was for support in establishing and upholding an Islamic System.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a rival of the Taliban, writes in his book (the translation of which is): “The destruction and Devastation in Afghanistan had reached its peak, and the oppression and cruelty had gone beyond limits. The people were fed up, and the Taliban consisted of people from Kandahar and some jihadist groups. The people supported the Taliban, and if anyone did the same, the people would support them.”
The early leaders of Taliban were the students who went back to relevant Madrassas to continue their studies, after withdrawal of USSR, but they have to come back to take control of the situation. Ahmed Khursheed writes that Mullah Hassan said that we all knew each other very well. Mullah Omar, Mullah Ghulam Ghos, Mullah Mohammad Rabbani were well aware of each other and knew about one another. Muhammad Maqsood Ahmad give several names of early Tehreek-e-Taliban leaders in his book “Main Nay Kabul Baste Daikha”. These names included Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, Maulana Mohammad Rabbani (late), Maulana Abdul Jalil, Maulana Mohammad Hassan Rahmani, Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Mullah Mohammad Ghous, Mullah Abdul Razzaq Akhund, Maulvi Ihsanullah Ihsan Shaheed, Mullah Birader Akhund, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwah, Maulvi Waqil Ahmad Mutawakil, Ma’amthar Shaheed, Mullah Haji Mohammad Shaheed, Mufti Masoom Afghani, Mullah Yar Mohammad Shaheed, Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, Mullah Borjan Shaheed, Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani, Mullah Qudratullah Jamal, Mawadi Abdul Hali Mutmain, Mullah Ghani Ilyas, and Mullah Najmuddin.
Mullah Omar was the most powerful person in Taliban and held all the authority. He led the most powerful Shoora, 6-member council which ran the government in Kandahar. He used to give verbal and written orders in the light of Shariah. The difference between Taliban and other Islam inclined movements is that they didn’t wanted to create a new ideology but to simply create a government ran fully by Islamic laws and for guidance they would consult the Ulema. There are several orders of Mullah Omar during his leadership, translation of which are: In order to curb bribery by government employees, Mullah Mohammad Omar issued the following decree:
“There is no doubt that in an Islamic system of governance, involvement in financial crimes such as rebellion, treason, and bribery is against the lofty goals of the Islamic system and extremely detrimental to its survival. This can lead to the wrath of Allah (Glory be to Him) and the failure of the governance system. The Islamic movement of the Taliban in Afghanistan is committed to eradicating such evils so that they can be removed.”
To implement this purpose, the following provisions are adopted:
1. If evidence is found of a person’s involvement in bribery, they will be punished with a sentence of five years in prison.
2. All courts of the Islamic Emirate are bound to enforce the above-mentioned provision concerning criminals involved in bribery.
3. This decree is effective from the time of its issuance, and it should be publicized through all media channels.
Regarding listening to and writing people’s complaints, Amir al-Mu’minin issued the following decree to the governors of the Islamic Emirate:
“Peace be upon you. Under the responsibility of helping the people, you should ensure that the issues and legitimate complaints of the people are heard in your respective provinces. To monitor this, a competent and active council should be formed to investigate and assess the behavior of the governors with the people and identify any shortcomings. The report prepared by them should be sent to me. Pay close attention to this task and ensure that a complaint box is placed in each province to assist in your reform efforts.”
In his foreign policy he followed the Islamic principles of brotherhood and humanity. He cared about the Muslims who were under foreign invasion or occupation. In particular, he expressed strong condemnation of the atrocities committed against Muslims in Kashmir, Palestine, Chechnya, and Sudan. While addressing a gathering of millions of Muslims in Kandahar on the occasion of Eid, Mullah Omar said:
“O, Muslim brothers! Today, a large part of Afghanistan is under an Islamic government, which is why you are celebrating Eid with peace and prosperity. However, on this occasion, do not forget those oppressed Muslims who are under the control of tyrants in various regions and are unable to defend their lives, wealth, and honor. On this blessed occasion, pledge to help these oppressed Muslims, and if you cannot assist them, at least pray for them that Allah grants them deliverance from the oppressors.”
The real beef between Taliban and UN started when they captured Herat and banned women education. They said that we won’t allow women education until we create separate educational institutions and system for them, yet they were allowed to work in health sector as no proper system was available to replace women. They issued orders for women to not get out of homes without proper veil, don’t travel with strangers, and other orders like that. They also did some good things regarding women rights like a part in inheritance must be given to them, no women shall be forced to marry without her permission, a family cannot force a widow to marry her husband’s brother etc.
At last, The things that made the condition worse was that there were a lot of militant organizations belonging to different countries in which was one was Osama bin Laden. They all were operating independently from Afghanistan in their respective countries. A meeting was held by Mullah Omar in which he urged all the organizations to obey the orders of Taliban government and do not carry out any operation from Afghan soil without our permissions or at least informing us. Yet after some time Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaida carried out the 9/11 attacks and things went wrong. America demanded Osama but Mullah Omer denied the request and said that it is against Islamic honor and Pashto tradition to hand over our guest to the enemies. This act of Mullah Omar was a spark that ignited the war on terror, a conflict that would set the region ablaze. Once allies, Pakistan and the Taliban became enemies, with Pakistan standing at the forefront of war on terror. In this devastating conflict, lots of civilian, soldiers, and Pakistani and Afghan Taliban lost their lives to the inferno of explosives and the bullets of war.
Yet the American invasion of Afghanistan took place and Mullah Omar gave the last speech and said I stood by the principles of Islam and refuse to hand over my guest. Before leaving, he urged his fellows and the people to remain steadfast and said that the nation will get free from the new invaders if it remained steadfast and continued its efforts. Afterwards, he with his cousin took the motorcycle and went away into a hiding after that he was never seen by anyone. He led the Quetta Shoora after that from hiding and in 2013 he was reported dead. His successors, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, and later Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada led the Shoora. After the resurgence in 2021, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada was appointed as Ameer. His legacy lives on, continuing to shape events long after his death. His creation is still evolving and giving birth to good and evil at the same time.