The Kurdistan Observert

Mar 1, 2001
By Siamand Banaa

On this day 22 years ago, General Barzani, soldier, statesman, founder of the Kurdistan
Democratic Party and above all standard bearer for Kurdistan, against tremendous odds,
passed away leaving a grieving nation, sadly contemplating life without their indestructible
leader who dominated the Kurdish national movement for nearly five decades.

My generation grew up in the fifties to stories told in whispers of the exploits and heroic
deeds of our champion.

How with few men and meagre resources he withstood the vicious onslaughts of the Arab,
Persian and Turkish armies against our defenceless people and outmanoeuvred English
generals and the English airforce with sheer courage and how he led 500 men on an epic
march wining one unequal engagement after the other against huge regular armies to reach
safety in the Soviet Union. With the loss of few men having inflicted thousands of casualties
upon the enemy and breaking their ring of steel.

He is coming back from Russia with an army of ten thousand, or a hundred thousand, and
avenge our desecrated Kurdistan and set her free, the rumours went around in a never ending
circle adding more awe and reverence to an already legendary name. And then 14th July
1958 happened, and within weeks the dreams became a reality, our General was coming
back, Oh, the pleasure and the ecstasy of those autumn days when every Kurdish soul lived
in happy anticipation of the great man's return.

When the joyful day arrived nearly half a million people lined the streets of Baghdad, Rashid
street was on seething mass from one end to the other, shouting in Arabic "Za'imuna Al
Thani Mustafa Al Barzani'' Our second leader is Mustafa Barzani. Of course the first and
sole leader then was Brigadier Qassim. Mulla Mustafa was a name on every Iraqi's lips
Arabs and Kurds alike. His posters, badges and photos were for sale everywhere, in generals'
uniform, in Kurdish costume in single-breasted suits. It was the most sought after momento
in that time of revolutionary fervour, Shamal Sa'ib's melodious voice as the most famous
balladeer of that era, would boom from a thousand radio sets singing: "The lion of
Kurdistan, Barzani. The star in our sky, Barzani; who has not heard your name, Barzani".

History has recorded in great detail, the rest of the story, in thousands of articles and books,
in every language throughout the world, Barzani's name became synonymous with courage,
tenacity and resilience, turning a forgotten cause and an almost hopeless one into a viable
and living issue. More than any other national leader of the 20th century he became totally
identified with the cause and tragedy of his people and they with his, one became inseparable
from the other. Enemies of the Kurds absolutely believed that Barzani's demise would
obliterate not only the resistance movement but the very Kurdish cause itself, and to that end
no other leader has faced so many attempts and conspiracies to extinguish their life. In June
1963, the London Times reported that the Iraqi regime of Abdul Salaam Arif was offering a
reward of 1 m US dollars for Barzani, dead or alive. The Iraqi regime, murdered not only
every male member of his family within their reach, but also their young children in 1983 in
an attempt to wipe out the family line, Taha Yaseen Ramazan, Iraqi deputy president, stood
menacingly on the ruins of the dynamited village of Barzan after the completion of the Anfal
operations, when more than 180,000 thousend innocent Kurdish civilians where murdered in
1989, and declared, '' Now that we have destroyed every living thing on the earth of Barzan,
We must make sure to destroy even the worms beneath it''.

Although the ultimate goal in bringing his people safely ashore eluded him , Barzani's
achievements in ensuring the survival and development of the Kurdish identity and national
movement upon its homeland through engineering a series of daring political and military
actions, gave hope to Kurds, that despite the tremendous odds all is not lost and the Kurds
can survive as a nation.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party, founded by Barzani, was the first truly modern , all
encompassing pan Kurdish political party, A look at its first central committee which had die
hard marxists, nationalists, two of the biggest land owners and socialists would reveal the
extent of his charisma and influence in giving lead and uniting the most diverse groups and
personalities under the nationalist banner, The natural birth of the KDP, and its broad
constituency was a unique event that has not been equalled despite many imitations, since .

The uprisings organised and led by Barzani from1943, were not local or tribal like all
Kurdish uprising before, Officers, intellectuals and town people from all over Kurdistan got
involved and joined its ranks along with tribes from different districts and regions, His march
to Mahabad and service in its army with thousands of his men, was a first in Kurdish history.
In selflessly pursuing a nationalistic goal, regardless of the pain and suffering to the
Barzani's a long distance from their habitats. This was a magnificent gesture, and a sacrifice
of a purely nationalistic nature that enhanced and strengthened the bonds and ties of blood
and nationhood, and dispelled any doubts that the Kurds have a but a common destiny as a
nation. Barzani's uprisings broke down the class, tribal and regional barriers so entrenched in
Kurdistan, and sustained by the Ottomans and Persians since the battle of Qaldiran 1514,
when they finally occupied and divided Kurdistan between them.

The constant shifting of fighting men from different, areas and tribes and their integration
into the larger and more appealing' 'Revolution'', was a reality made possible by Barzani,
which until then was the dream of poets and the uttering of the romantics . Political cadres
from all parts of Kurdistan together with military ones rose through the ranks purely on
merit, and administered and commanded districts they were strangers to the majority of
whom came from poor families.  Thus we can say that the concept of allegiance to the nation
or the revolution rather than the tribe or despotic agha was started by Barzani, the
transformation from feudalism, which was encouraged and imposed upon Kurdish society by
the newly emerging nation states of the middle-east to keep the Kurds backward and
disunited, to a modern national entity, was Barzani's greatest achievement .

The 11th march peace accord, between the KDP and the Baathist regime in 1970, was also a
unique achievement, it was the first time that a Kurdish leader compels an oppressive
government to officially recognise some measure of national rights for his people. This will
be the legal bases by which others would have to concede to the Kurds their legitimate rights.
It is beyond the scope of this article to list all Barzani's achievements and real impact upon
our life, only a patient researcher who has great talent and tremendous energy, can even
begin to unravel the life and times and accomplishments of one of the giants of the 20th
century, who has managed to unite all the Kurds during his lifetime under the pan Kurdistan
banner, an impossible task in retrospect, But it did happen, my friends, once not many years
ago, we were all proud and honoured to serve our people under Barzani, and except for a
few miscreants, who were later forgiven and rejoined the fold, the people of Kurdistan stood
united at the threshold of history, Let us on this day salute the memory of a great leader, and
treasure his heritage, and promise to strive above all else, to unite our people once again in
their quest to be equal to the free peoples of the world.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com