Mustafa Faraj

Mustafa Faraj(1935 – June 1974), was a prominent member of the Peshmerga, in northern Iraq during the Kurdish prolonged warfare with the Iraqi Government armed forces in their struggle for self-ruled northern Iraq.

Born in the village of Mahabad in eastern Kurdistan. His mother died while he was still a child. His father remairied. His father would not take care of him, Mustafa Faraj left his home. Mustafa Faraj's aunt adopted him, he grow up in the city of Shahrizor in Iraq.

Later Mustafa Faraj moved to the city of Chamchamal, where he lived for many years.

Mustafa Faraj started working at the local police of Mosul. He was promoted to a high rank at the police.

In the '70s Mustafa Faraj heard on the radio that Mustafa Barzani wanted to establish a free Kurdistan. At the night he said to his police group that he would look after them while they could sleep. After he collected all their weapons he took hostage of them (20 man). He brought the police group and their weapons to Mustafa Barzani. After that he started his career as peshmerga.

In the '70s dr. Kemal Karkuki and his peshmerga group were imprisoned in Baghdad, Mustafa Faraj kidnaped a high-ranked officer of the Iraqi regime. He exchanged the officer so dr. Kemal Karkuki and his peshmerga group were released from the prison.

During a fight against Iraqi forces Mustafa Faraj was shot in his arm, he could not go to a hospital in Iraq, so he went to Tehran in Iran where he was treated.

During a peshermga fight against Iraqi forces, Mustafa Faraj was shot in his legs. Mustafa Faraj's peshmerga group won the fight, and Iraqi forcescalled for backup. A tank was coming, Mustafa Faraj commanded his peshmerga group to flee, his peshmerga group wanted to take Mustafa Faraj with them, but Mustafa Faraj did not want to endanger his peshmerga group. He stayed and his peshmerga group had fled. With his last bullet his shot himself through the head.

When the regime found his body they attached his body to the tank. They dragged him through the city of Kirkuk to show that they had won the fight.

Mustafa Faraj had six children.

- Sabria Mustafa Faraj
- Salah Mustafa Faraj
- Layla Mustafa Faraj
- Amina Mustafa Faraj
- Mohammed Mustafa Faraj
- Nahla Mustafa Faraj

Salah Mustafa Faraj became a sahid in 1991, during raparin in Qara Hanjir, between Kerkuk and Sulaymaniyah.