Who Are the Taliban?

The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed a strict form of Islamic law on the country. Here are some key facts about the group's beliefs and history.  

How were the Taliban formed?  The Taliban were one of the factions fighting in Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union. The group emerged in 1994 around the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. Their founder was Mullah Mohammad Omar, a local imam in the city, who led the militants until his death in 2013.  What is the connection with the U.S.?