Mustafa Barzani

Mustafa Barzani (Kurdish: مسته‌فا بارزانی‎ Mistefa Barzanî) (March 14, 1903 – March 1, 1979), also known as Mullah Mustafa, was a Kurdish nationalist leader, and the most prominent political figure in modern Kurdish politics. In 1946, he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to lead the Kurdish revolution against Iraqi regimes. Barzani was the primary political and military leader of the Kurdish revolution until his death in March 1979. He led campaigns of armed struggle against both the Iraqi and Iranian governments.

Early life

Mustafa Barzani was born in 1903 in Barzan, a village in northern Iraqi Kurdistan (then part of the Ottoman Empire). Following an insurrection launched by his tribe, he, his mother and the rest of his family were imprisoned, when Barzani was only five years old. His father, grandfather, and a brother were later executed by the Ottoman authorities for other insurrections. At an early age he joined other tribal fighters in aiding Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji's revolt against the British in Iraq.