Answer
The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and Mullah Omar fought against them. He was a member of the Mujahideen, a group of Afghan fighters who opposed the Soviet occupation. The Mujahideen were eventually successful in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan, and Mullah Omar became one of the most powerful leaders in the country. He established the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.