Mustafa Barzani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mustafa Barzani
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| مستهفا محەمەد بارزانی Mela Mustafa Barzanî |
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Barzani in a Republic of Mahabad uniform
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| Born | 14 March 1903 Barzan, Mosul Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
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| Died | 1 March 1979 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Burial place | Barzan, Kurdistan Region |
| Occupation | General and politician |
| Term | 1946–1979 |
| Successor | Masoud Barzani |
| Political party | Kurdistan Democratic Party (1946–1979) |
| Children | 10, including Idris, Masoud, and Ubaidullah |
| Family | Barzani family |
Mustafa Barzani (Kurdish: مەلا مستهفا بارزانی, romanized: Mustafa Barzanî; 14 March 1903 – 1 March 1979) was a very important Kurdish leader. People also called him Mela Mustafa, which means Preacher Mustafa. He was a general and a key political figure in modern Kurdish history.
In 1946, he became the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). He led the Kurdish people in their fight for more rights against the Kingdom of Iraq. Barzani was the main leader of this movement until he passed away in 1979. He led armed groups against both the Iraqi and Iranian governments.
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
Mustafa Barzani was born in 1903 in a village called Barzan. This village is in southern Iraqi Kurdistan. When he was only three years old, his family was put in prison. This happened after his tribe started a rebellion.
His father, grandfather, and one brother were later executed. The Ottoman authorities did this because of other rebellions. When he was young, his older brother, Sheikh Ahmed Barzani, sent him to join a revolt. This revolt was against the British in Iraq.
In 1931, he joined his brother Sheikh Ahmed Barzani. Sheikh Ahmed led a rebellion against Baghdad. Baghdad wanted to reduce the power of tribes in Kurdish areas. The British helped Iraq and used planes to bomb rebel areas. Sheikh Ahmed surrendered to Turkish forces in 1932. Mustafa Barzani continued fighting for another year. He later surrendered to Iraq on his brother's advice.
In 1939, he helped create the Hewa (Hope) political party. This was the first Kurdish political party in Iraq.
Mustafa Barzani was watched closely until 1943. Then, he escaped from his exile in Sulaymaniyah. He and about three thousand followers went to Iran. They arrived in Oshnavieh in October 1945. There, Kurdish nationalists were forming a new Kurdish state.
Early Political Career
Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad
In December 1945, the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad was formed. This happened in northwestern Iran, which was under Soviet control. Qazi Muhammad, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran, declared it. Barzani was made the Minister of Defense and commander of the Kurdish army.
Barzani quickly showed he was a skilled commander. His forces defeated Iranian divisions. He was one of the few who did not surrender when Iranian forces advanced. In May 1946, Soviet troops left Iran. Support for the Republic of Kurdistan ended. In December, Iranian troops took over Mahabad. The leaders faced harsh punishments. Qazi Muhammad was publicly executed.
Time in the Soviet Union
Barzani and his followers went to the Armenian SSR. They were placed in a camp. They asked the Soviet Union for help. Barzani and his followers were then moved to the Azerbaijani SSR. They stayed in camps near Baku. Barzani met with officials from the Azerbaijan Communist Party.
In November 1947, Barzani met Mir Jafar Baghirov. They talked about what the Kurds could do in the Soviet Union. Barzani's followers were organized into a military group. They received training and learned to read and write Kurdish.
In January 1948, a meeting was held in Baku for Kurds from Iraq and Iran. Barzani shared his plan for the Kurdish movement. Iran demanded that the Soviet Union send Barzani back. But the Soviet Union refused. Barzani later had problems with Baghirov. He feared Baghirov would act against his followers.
Barzani and his group were moved to the Uzbek SSR in August 1948. Barzani and many of his followers were separated. They were sent to do hard labor across the country. For three years, Barzani was apart from his followers. They protested to be reunited.
Barzani sent many letters to Joseph Stalin himself. He asked for better treatment and to be reunited. In March 1951, Soviet officials began looking into his concerns. They found that Barzani and his followers were treated unfairly. In August 1951, the Soviet government reunited them. Mustafa Barzani got a home in Tashkent. The others got homes nearby. They all received jobs, education, and social services.
Barzani later met with Soviet leaders like Georgy Malenkov and Nikita Khrushchev. This was in May 1953, after Stalin's death. He wanted to make sure the Soviets would keep helping him. Soon after, Barzani moved to Moscow. He joined the Party Higher School.
During his time in exile, the Kurdish Democratic Party was founded in Iraq. This was on August 16, 1946. Mustafa Barzani was elected its president. The party later changed its name to the Kurdistan Democratic Party in January 1953.
Return to Iraq and Revolutions
Mustafa Barzani returned to Iraq in 1958. He then led many rebellions against Baghdad. He often got help from different countries and intelligence agencies. These included the KGB, CIA, Mossad, and SAVAK. He also got support from Syria and Jordan. He used the complex situation of the Cold War in the Middle East to his advantage.
Return from Exile and Qasim
In July 1958, a republican coup overthrew the monarchy in Iraq. The Kurds were given more rights. The new Iraqi constitution said Kurds and Arabs were partners in the same nation. Barzani was invited to return to Iraq. In October 1958, he and his followers came back from the Soviet Union.
Barzani quickly became friends with the new leader, Qasim. Qasim hoped Barzani would be an ally in Iraq's power struggles. Barzani also faced challenges within his own KDP party. There were disagreements about land reform and alliances. Barzani quickly took control of the KDP. He removed Ibrahim Ahmad and made Hamza Abdullah the General-Secretary. This strengthened ties with the Iraqi Communist Party.
Barzani and the KDP supported Qasim during an uprising in Mosul in March 1959. They helped fight off the rebels. After a deadly riot in Kirkuk in July 1959, Qasim criticized the Communist Party. Barzani followed suit, seeing them as rivals. He ended ties with the Communist Party. He brought Ibrahim Ahmad back to his position.
Over time, Qasim became suspicious of Barzani. He worried that Barzani's growing power in Iraqi Kurdistan could threaten him. Qasim started using tribal rivalries to weaken Barzani. He supported tribes that were rivals of the Barzanis. Tensions between Barzani and Qasim grew throughout 1961. On September 11, 1961, Iraqi planes bombed the Kurdish region. This happened after an ambush on a military convoy. In December, Barzani and the KDP began fighting the government.
Barzani tried to get support from the United States. He led his fighters, called the peshmerga, very well. They caused many losses for the Iraqi military. Qasim offered peace twice, but Barzani refused. He demanded more autonomy for the Kurds. Qasim could not agree to this without harming his image. The military campaign continued.
Throughout 1962, Barzani's campaign made Qasim's position unstable. Barzani directed the KDP to talk with other groups who might take over from Qasim.
Military Government and Peace Efforts
On February 8, 1963, a military coup overthrew Qasim. Abdul Salam Arif became president. Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became prime minister. The new government was suspicious of Barzani. They remembered his role in Mosul in 1959. Negotiations between Barzani and the government failed. Barzani asked for autonomy, including oil fields around Kirkuk and Mosul. The government then moved against the KDP in northern Iraq.
The campaign was difficult for the government. President Arif then took more power in November 1963. He removed the Ba'athists from the government. President Arif quickly offered Barzani a truce, which Barzani accepted. An agreement ended the fighting, but it did not include autonomy.
Barzani then focused on strengthening his leadership within the KDP. There was opposition from groups led by Talabani and Ahmad. Barzani represented the tribal and conservative Kurds. Talabani and Ahmad led the more progressive, leftist Kurds. Barzani benefited from his agreement with Arif. He received money and weapons from Baghdad to secure his position.
In July 1964, at a KDP meeting, Barzani moved against Talabani and Ahmad. He sent his son Idris to remove them and their supporters. This worked, and Barzani's opponents fled to Iran. This gave him full control of the KDP.
With his power secure, Barzani again demanded autonomy from President Arif. Relations quickly worsened. In March 1965, fighting began again. Iraq sent nearly 100,000 soldiers to fight Barzani and the Peshmerga. The government also supported the Talabani-Ahmad group against Barzani. The fighting was difficult, especially in winter. President Arif died in a helicopter crash in April 1966.
Arif's death caused a power struggle in Baghdad. This gave Barzani time to reorganize. Operations restarted in the summer when Arif's brother, Abdul Rahman Arif, became president. He promised to continue the war. The prime minister, Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz, saw that the war was not working. He offered Barzani a peace deal, called the "Bazzaz Declaration." This included many of the KDP's demands. However, Bazzaz was forced to resign in August 1966.
President Arif later realized the war's difficulties. He visited Barzani that fall. Barzani accepted Arif's truce offer. He saw the heavy cost of the war on the Kurdish people. In November, the KDP accepted the Bazzaz Declaration's terms. But they said they would still push for autonomy.
Barzani continued to gain power in Iraqi Kurdistan. Baghdad had lost much control there. Barzani's strong position tied up many Iraqi forces during the Six Day War.
Ba'ath Coup of 1968 and 1970 Peace Accord
In July 1968, the Ba'ath Party took control of Iraq. Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr returned to power. The Ba'ath leaders realized the war was costly. They wanted to solve the Kurdish issue peacefully. They first tried to make a deal with the Talabani-Ahmad group. This made Barzani angry, and he started fighting again. He shelled Kirkuk in March 1969. Barzani's ability to get help from Iran made it hard for the Ba'ath government to win militarily.
By May 1969, the government wanted to negotiate with Barzani. Formal talks began in December. Barzani demanded that the Ba'ath stop supporting rival Kurdish groups. He wanted to be recognized as the only leader of the KDP. Autonomy was also discussed. Mahmoud Othman negotiated for the KDP, and Saddam Hussein for the government.
The final agreement was reached on March 11, 1970. It recognized the Kurdish people. Kurdish language became a second official language alongside Arabic. The agreement also promised autonomy in northern Iraq. However, it excluded Kirkuk and other Kurdish cities. In return, the Iraqi army would have full control over Kurdistan.
Breakdown of the Peace Accord
The government began rebuilding northern Iraq. They started working towards an autonomous region. Five Kurdish men were appointed to government ministries. The Kurds joined the National Front. Barzani received money to manage the KDP. Ibrahim Ahmad and Jalal Talabani also rejoined the KDP.
However, relations quickly worsened. Barzani accused Iraq of continuing to make Kurdish areas more Arab. He said they were not truly committed to autonomy. An assassination attempt happened against Barzani in September 1971. Barzani believed Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attack.
Barzani's view of the Ba'ath government soured. He refused to close the border with Iran. He continued to receive weapons and supplies from Iran. This increased after the Soviet-Iraqi Treaty of Friendship in April 1972. The United States was worried about Iraq becoming too close to the Soviet Union. Israel also increased support to Barzani. These actions strengthened Barzani's forces. But they made some KDP members and leftists unhappy. Barzani's own son, Ubeydullah, left the movement to work with Baghdad. In 1973, Barzani began preparing for another conflict with Baghdad.
On March 11, 1974, the Ba'ath government passed an autonomy law. Barzani rejected it because Kirkuk was not included. He also did not trust the Ba'ath for real autonomy. Some KDP members, unhappy with Barzani's ties to the U.S., Israel, and Iran, joined Baghdad.
Renewed Fighting and Defeat
The 1975 Algiers Agreement was signed between Iran and Iraq in March. This agreement ended a long dispute between the two countries. The agreement said that Iran would stop supporting the Peshmerga. This meant Barzani's rebellion could no longer get supplies.
On March 23, just days after the agreement, Barzani and nearly 100,000 followers left Iraq for Iran. This ended the rebellion against Iraq. It allowed the Ba'ath Party to carry out its policies towards the Kurds. Ahmad and Talabani went to Syria. They founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in June 1975. They criticized Barzani's leadership.
Exile and Death
Barzani and his family settled near Tehran in Karaj. The KDP faced a difficult time trying to reorganize after the defeat. Barzani continued to seek support from the United States. He realized the U.S. saw the Kurds only as a tool. They were not interested in helping Kurdish nationalist goals.
The Pike Commission confirmed this. It showed the CIA only wanted the Kurds to weaken Iraq. They never intended to help Barzani achieve his goals. Barzani lived to see the overthrow of the Shah. He also saw the departure of Henry Kissinger from U.S. politics. He passed away on March 1, 1979, in Washington, D.C., while getting treatment for lung cancer. He was buried in Iranian Kurdistan in Oshnavieh.
In October 1993, Barzani's remains were brought back to Iraqi Kurdistan. He was reburied in his hometown of Barzan.
Legacy
His son, Massoud Barzani, became the leader of the KDP. He was re-elected as the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region in July 2009. His grandson, Nechirvan Barzani, who is the son of Idris Barzani, became the prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Images for kids
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Mustafa Barzani with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser
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Mustafa Barzani in 1958
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Mustafa Barzani in Baghdad in 1959
See also
- Masoud Barzani
- Ahmed Barzani
- Iraqi Kurdistan
- Barzani Family
