Kosrat Rasul Ali
| Kosrat Rasul Ali | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Vice President of Iraqi Kurdistan | |
|
Assumed office June 14, 2005 |
|
| President | Massoud Barzani |
| 2nd Prime Minister of PUK-controlled Kurdistan | |
|
In office 26 April 1993 – 21 January 2001 |
|
| President | Jalal Talebani |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
| Religion | Muslim |
Kosrat Rasul Ali is a Kurdish politician, veteran Peshmerga military leader and vice president of the KRG
He was born in 1952 as Abdulla Rasul in the oil-rich village of Shiwashok near the city of Koya which is in the province of Erbil. His father was Rasul Ali, who worked for the oil company near the village. The family was well known in the area. Ali was educated at two schools and at mosque teachings. He used his own identification for day school and that of his dead brother for night school. He then went to study at Varna in Bulgaria.
Kosrat has reputation for ferocity in a country where everyone considers himself a fighter,Kosrat's body is a roadmap of scars
In 1975, after returning home from Bulgaria, Ali joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party to participate in the Kurdish Aylul revolution. The same year the revolution came to an end he joined with the Komala party and he played a role in supervising student activities. In 1976, along with a number of his colleagues, he founded Kurdistan Students Group in Kerkuk. In 1977 he was arrested with 12 others by Bath Party agents and was imprisoned for several months during which time he was tortured. Later on that year, he and three of the others were released without having admitted any guilt. He joined the Peshmarga fighters in the mountains, taking 180,000 Iraqi Dinars from the agriculture market center in Erbil and gave it to Peshmarga. It was a noticeable financial support for Peshmarga at the time. Kosrat is known as the strongman of Erbil city and its surroundings he has a reputation for bravery
Kosrat become a politburo member of Komala and of secret branches in 1981. In 1984 he was elected chief of the fourth center of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and held the post until 1988. By this time he was well known by the Bath regime for his activities, which were mostly operated from Smaquli village, outside Erbil. Somewhere at this point in an air strike by regime forces two of his sons lost their lives while trying to get to safety. They were aged 9 and 10.
When the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait in 1991, Kosrat held a major role in the uprisings, he participated and supervised the liberation of the Kurdish cities among them Shaqlawa, Hawler and Kirkuk. Kosrat accompanied by two Peshmarga had entered in two the city of Shaqlawa and located the person in charge of the city and made sure no resistance were made against Peshmarga. Shaqlawa was liberated without any resistance. In Hawler the people had attempted to liberate the city but were unsuccessful. Alongside the Pesharmga the people of Hawler managed to liberate the city on 11 March and Kosrat was the first commander to enter. He walked from the city citadel to the governors office alongside the people. Kosrat, as a native of Erbil, enjoyed huge support within the city and is described as being charismatic figure
He is the first deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and currently acting secretary general performing the duties of Jalal Talabani. He in 2001 becomes Executive Director of PUK politburo.
...
Wikipedia