Afghanistan - Mullah Mohammad Omar

One-eyed Mullah Omar is Commander of the Faithful, top dog and head cheese of the Taliban and of Afghanistan. Omar is not so much the political leader of the Taliban as he is the poster boy and religious diviner. He is Afghanistan in a microcosm. Wounded war hero, politician, religious leader and visionary shaper of the new Afghanistan. Omar was born the son of a poor farmer in 1962 in Uruzgan or the Mewand district in SW Afghanistan. He wanted to study the Koran, but the jihad against the Russians interrupted his studies. He was wounded four times in one firefight, losing his left eye. His friends say he was a pretty good shot with an RPG. He then ascended the ranks to be the chief commander in the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i Islami party of Muhammad Nabi Muhammad. On April 3, 1996, over 1,000 Muslim clergymen chose Mullah Omar to be the "Amirul-Mumineen" (Supreme Leader of the Muslims). Depending on who you talk to he is the little man pulling the levers in The Wizard of Oz or a charismatic diviner of truths. DP set up the world's only taped interview with him and lets just say he's a nice guy but he rambles a bit when it comes to the jihad stuff. He can usually be found in the newly undecorated governor's mansion in Kandahar holding court.

Mullah Omar

Kandahar, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan