Jalal Talabani served as the 6th president of Iraq from 2005 to 2014, navigating the complex geopolitical landscape of the Middle East for over five decades. A lawyer and jurist by training, he became a central figure in Kurdish politics and the broader Iraqi transition following the 2003 invasion, eventually assuming the nation's highest office.
Legal Education and Political Origins
Born in 1933 in the village of Kelkan, Talabani entered the University of Baghdad to study law in 1953. His early political engagement led to an enforced exile in Syria by 1956 to avoid arrest for his activities within the Kurdish Students Union. During his time in Damascus, he helped establish the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria. He returned to Iraq to complete his law degree in 1959, shortly thereafter serving in the Iraqi Army as a tank unit commander.
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Take the IQ test →Kurdish Separatism and the PUK
In the early 1960s, Talabani managed the Polit bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. He organized uprisings in northern Iraq, leading battlefronts in Kirkuk and Silemani. Following a fallout with the Barzani family in 1964 and the collapse of the Kurdish separatist movement in 1975, he co-founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to provide a new direction for the movement. Throughout the 1980s, he operated from bases within Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan, later working with international coalitions to secure a safe haven for Kurds following the 1991 uprisings.
Presidency and Later Years
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Talabani served as the head of the Governing Council and briefly as Prime Minister. In April 2005, he was elected President of Iraq by the National Assembly, becoming the first president under the nation's new constitution. His tenure concluded in 2014. His health declined significantly following a stroke in 2012, which necessitated extended medical treatment in Germany. He died in Berlin on 3 October 2017.
Fast facts
- Born: 1933, Kelkan
- Died: 2017, Berlin
- Education: University of Baghdad
- President of Iraq: 2005-2014
- Prime Minister of Iraq: 2003
- Political Party: Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
- Languages spoken: English, Persian, Arabic, Kurdish
- Awards: Bruno Kreisky Award for Services to Human Rights
Questions readers ask
What was Talabani's professional background?
He was a trained lawyer and jurist, as well as a former tank unit commander in the Iraqi Army.
What is the origin of the name Mam Jalal?
Peers began calling him Mam, meaning paternal uncle in Kurdish, while he was in his teens.
Achievements
- Prime Minister of Iraq (2003–2003)
- President of Iraq (2005–2014)
- Educated at University of Baghdad
