Mullah Omar is dead. The reclusive founder of the Taliban, who has not been seen since the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, reportedly died in hospital, although when, where and of what, is not clear. For all the mystery surrounding him, he was a powerful presence who managed to unify an often unruly and scattered movement. A successor has been named, but it is doubtful whether he can keep the Taliban from fracturing and dissolving.

Omar was reckoned — the exact dates are unknown — to have been born between 1950 and 1962 in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. He fought against the Soviet forces that invaded Afghanistan during the 1980s and was a savage and effective fighter, until he was wounded by shrapnel and lost an eye. He then joined a madrassah — an Islamic school — as either a student or teacher and later moved to Pakistan to continue his studies; while there he met Osama bin Laden.

Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Omar returned home to teach until he was inspired — by a dream, according to some accounts — to rally the faithful and end the chaos that had descended upon his country. His group was called the Taliban (the Students), and it was made up of followers from his school in Kandahar and fellow believers from refugee camps in Pakistan. They were united by disgust at the corruption in Afghanistan and the power of the warlords.