February 27, 2007
President of autonomous region of Kurdistan
(northern Iraq) Massoud Barzani recently published a
work dedicated to the life and activity of his
father, Mustafa Barzani, 'Mella Mustafa'.
Mustafa Barzani’s memoirs about the Armenian
Genocide and mass deportation of Armenians are also
included in the work.
It is also noteworthy, that the author’s
grand-grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Barzani was the
religious leader of the Barzani tribe. Sheikh
Mohammad’s son Abdulsalam later obtained both the
political and religious leadership of the tribe.
In 1914 Sheikh Abdulsalam was executed by the
Ottoman authorities. After those events his sons
divided the political and religious authority of the
tribe.
In 1914 Sheikh Abdulsalam was executed by the
Ottoman authorities. After those events his sons
divided the political and religious authority of the
tribe.
At this very moment were started the mass
repressions of Western Armenians. Abdulsalam’s son
Sheikh Ahmad answered the summons of Armenian
warlord Andranik, who was engaged in the
organization of self-defense of Armenians. Mella
Mustafa Barzani tells that he was among those 200
men sent by Sheikh Ahmad to aid Andranik’s forces.
It should be noted that so as to avoid impact with
governmental forces the brigade was to declare
openly that their aim was to take part in the
massacre of Armenians. Unfortunately, the Ottoman
government had convinced the population of the
empire that the 1915 events were a war of Muslims
against the Christians, so that necessary lie was
not hard to believe.
"We aided the Armenians and accompanied the to the
border of Syria", continues Mella Mustafa. "We were
engaged by the Turkish forces and suffered
casualties of 14 men".
On our part we should add that Mella Mustafa Barzani
lived a long life and passed away in 1979, in the
Sulaimaniyah town of Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). He
was succeeded by his son Massoud Barzani, who after
his father’s example became had got involved in the
Kurd national movement at the early age of 16.
azg.am | kuvvaimilliye net |
Massoud Barzani, the President of the Regional
Government of Kurdistan
Mustafa Barzani |
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