Najmadin Shukr Rauf Zanganeh or "Mama Risha" (, July 1, 1957 – January 25, 1985), was a prominent

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

member of the

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

loyal to the PUK. He is known for his courage and fearlessness, he became a heroic and courageous

and fought for the freedom of

Kurdistan Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, Kurdish la ...

, and for that he sacrificed his life and war for this freedom and soul. Made it a name that would be famous.

Early life

He was born in the village of Talaban near

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

into a poor

family from the Zangana tribe. His father was a prominent

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

in the village. Since there were no schools in their village, he never received an education. He was soon recognized for his potential as a guerrilla fighter as well as his personal qualities like bravery, courage, sincerity and fairness. He became the commander of the Karti 4 brigade in 1982. Under his command, Karti 4 became one of the most effective forces of PUK. His mental strength as well as his physical strength, stamina, and speed gave him a near mythical status in

society who were suffering oppression under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

's rule. According to some sources, he chose the nickname "Mama Risha" because he swore that he would never shave his beard until

was fully free from the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...

's control. He was also nicknamed the "Iron Man" for his furious and well organized battles and

ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...

es against the Iraqi forces near the Kirkuk area The biggest war he has participated in is called the Hamek War War, which was in the Hamek area, with 11

peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

soldiers facing more than 2,800

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

i soldiers and helicopters and scored victories.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rauf, Najmadin Shukr Iraqi Kurdish people 1957 births People from Kirkuk Governorate 1985 deaths Kurdish guerrillas Kurdish military personnel killed in action Kurdish nationalists