Masoud Barzani
Born - August 16, 1946 in Mahabad, Iran.
Married, eight children.
Education - Was not completed. Speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Persian and English
Masoud Barzani was born in Mahabad when his father, the late General Mustafa Barzani, was the Chief of the Military of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. When the Republic fell, Mustafa Barzani went to USSR with five hundred of his followers. Masoud Barzani with the rest of the family and thousands of Barzani clan members returned to Iraq. They were deported to the southern parts of the country. In 1961, the Iraqi government started its repression against the Kurds. Masoud's father, Mustafa, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party launched their armed offensive in 1961. Masoud joined the KDP at an age of sixteen. Towards the end of 1978, Masoud survived an assassination attempt in Vienna while on his way back to Iraq. He assumed a leading position in the KDP with his brother Idris Barzani.
Masoud Barzani is the current leader of Kurdistan Democratic Party. Masoud Barzani took part in the delegation, which signed the defunct autonomy deal with Baghdad in March of 1970. After the death of Mustafa Barzani in March 1979, Masoud was elected as the new president of the KDP in the 9th Party Congress. Since then he has been re-elected as the Party's President in three other general congresses.
Source: www.iraqinews.com
