Remembering Kurdish Leader Mustafa Barzani: 45 Years On

[Anthea]

Kurdish Leader Mustafa Barzani

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the passing of Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani, who devoted his life to the Kurdish struggle for freedom

Mustafa Barzani was born on March 14, 1903, in Barzan village, Kurdistan. His early years were marked by hardship, including imprisonment alongside his mother by the Ottoman Empire.

Barzani emerged as a prominent figure, leading revolutions and fighting against British and Iraqi forces in the 1930s and 1940s. He gained recognition as a brave military leader during this period.

During World War II, Barzani capitalized on the chaos to advance the Kurdish cause, ultimately weakening Iraqi control over Kurdish territories in the following decades.

Following the collapse of the Republic of Kurdistan, Barzani and his fighters sought refuge in the Soviet Union for 12 years, where he continued his education and military training.

Returning to Iraq in 1958, Barzani resumed the Kurdish revolution against the Iraqi government's failure to fulfill promises of autonomy and rights.

Despite initial agreements for Kurdish autonomy in 1970, tensions persisted, leading to the Algiers Agreement in 1975, aimed at settling border disputes.

Barzani narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 1971, orchestrated by Iraqi authorities, showcasing the dangers he faced in his pursuit of Kurdish rights.

In 1975, Barzani's health declined, leading him to seek medical treatment in the United States, where he passed away in 1979. His legacy lives on as a symbol of Kurdish resistance and determination for self-determination.

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Background on Mustafa Barzani

121 years ago this month Mulla Mustafa Barzani, the iconic Kurdish leader, was born, igniting the fight for independence

Born on March 14, 1903, in Barzani village, situated at the border junction of modern-day Iran, Turkey, and the Kurdistan Region, he faced early adversity, being imprisoned at the age of 3 alongside his mother by the Ottoman Empire.

Born into a prominent family with a legacy of advocating for Kurdish rights spanning centuries, Mustafa Barzani became involved in the Kurdish struggle early on.

In 1919, he joined Sheikh Mahmoud Hafid's revolution, and a year later, his older brother Sheikh Ahmed Barzani entrusted him with the mission to forge alliances with Sheykh Said Piran in Turkey's Kurdistan.

Despite facing multiple exiles, including one to southern Iraq in his early involvement in the Kurdish freedom movement, Barzani persisted, returning to Kurdistan to lead his people in further fights for their rights.

In 1946, when Qazi Mohammad declared the formation of the Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad, Iranian Kurdistan, Mustafa Barzani assumed the role of Chief of Staff of the Kurdistan Army.

Following the collapse of the Republic of Kurdistan a year later, attributed by Kurds to an "international conspiracy," Barzani and his followers relocated to the Soviet Union, where they resided for 12 years before returning to the Kurdistan Region in 1958.

During his time in the Soviet Union, Barzani pursued military studies at an academy and became proficient in Russian.

Under Mustafa Barzani's leadership and Kurdish pressure, the Iraqi government conceded in 1970, granting Kurds autonomy and various rights, such as education in their native language. However, this agreement was short-lived as the Iraqi government violated it five years later by signing the Algiers Agreement with Iran.

Barzani sought medical treatment in the United States but sadly passed away in 1979. Initially interred in the Iranian Kurdish town of Shno, his body was later relocated to his ancestral village following the 1991 Kurdish uprising, which liberated Kurdistan from Iraqi army control.

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