Here is a look at the life of Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan.

Personal: Birth date: December 24, 1957

Birth place: Kandahar, Afghanistan

Father: Abdul Ahad Karzai, politician

Mother: Unknown

Marriage: Zinat Karzai (1999 - present)

Children: Mirwais, 2007

Education: Himachal University, India, Masters Degree in Political Science

Other Facts: He is a member of the Popalzai clan, part of the larger Pashtun tribe.

Karzai was educated in India and is fluent in several languages, including English, Pashto, Dari, and Urdu.

Karzai's grandfather served as deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament.

Karzai's father held high level posts in the government of King Mohammed Zahir Shah.

Timeline: 1979 - After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Karzai and his father flee to Pakistan.

1992-1993 - Serves as deputy foreign minister, in the government of Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union.

Mid-1990s - Briefly aligns himself with the Taliban.

1996 - Declines an invitation to become Taliban ambassador to the United Nations.

1999 - Karzai's father is murdered in Quetta, Pakistan, allegedly by the Taliban.

October 2001 - Slips into Afghanistan from Pakistan, to incite an uprising against the Taliban.

November 2001 - Is rescued by US forces during a skirmish with Taliban fighters.

December 2001 - Karzai is chosen as interim leader of Afghanistan.

December 5, 2001 - Is slightly injured by an errant US bomb.

December 22, 2001 - Is inaugurated as interim president in Kabul.

January 2002 - Visits the United States and the United Nations. Is an honored guest at President George W. Bush's State of the Union address.

June 13, 2002 - At the Loya Jirga, Karzai is named president of Afghanistan, for a two-year term.

September 5, 2002 - Survives an assassination attempt in his hometown of Kandahar.