Masrour Barzani | |
|---|---|
| مەسرور بارزانی | |
.jpg) Barzani in Washington, D.C. in 2025 | |
| Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region | |
| Assumed office 10 June 2019 | |
| President | Nechirvan Barzani |
| Deputy | Qubad Talabani[1] |
| Preceded by | Nechirvan Barzani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1969-03-02)2 March 1969 (age 56) Choman, Iraq |
| Political party |  Kurdistan Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | American University (AB) |
| Website | |
Masrour Barzani (Arabic:مسرور بارزاني;Kurdish:مەسروور بارزانی,romanized: Mesrûr Barzanî) (born 2 March 1969)[2] is an IraqiKurdish politician and serving as prime minister of theKurdistan Region, since June 2019.[3] He is also the chancellor of theKurdistan Region Security Council and a member of theKurdistan Democratic Party. He was sworn in as prime minister of the KRG’s ninth cabinet on 10 June 2019, after receiving 87 votes out of 97 legislators in the Kurdistan parliament.[4][5]
Masrour is the son ofMasoud Barzani. He joined theKurdish resistance fighters, known asPeshmerga or "those who face death", in 1985 at the age of 16. He was an active participant in the Battle of Khwakurk againstSaddam Hussein's army in 1988. He also participated in the1991 uprising againstSaddam Hussein after the firstGulf War and filmed both events.
Despite this irregular childhood given the tumultuous nature of theKurdish resistance, Barzani was able to complete his high school education inIran. After seeing peace restored to theregion in 1992, he went to London for a year-long course in English. Having successfully completed this, he continued on to receive a bachelor's degree with honors in International Studies from theAmerican University inWashington, D.C. He continued studying Peace and Conflict Resolutions for his post graduate studies.[6]
During his time in Washington, Barzani was actively involved in improving understanding of theKurdish plight in America. He also established a Barzani Scholar-in-Residence program at American University in order to continue these efforts into the future.[7]
In 1998, he returned toKurdistan Region and was elected by the KDP's 12th Congress to the Central Committee. Later that same year he became part of theKurdistan Democratic Party Leadership before being appointed as General Director of the Protection and Intelligence Agency. In 2010, he received the highest votes of the 13th Congress, was reelected to the Leadership Council and then selected as one of the Politburo members of the KDP. In 2012, he was appointed by his father Kurdistan Region PresidentMasoud Barzani as Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council to oversee security, military intelligence and existing intelligence services.[8]
Under his stewardship, women have been officially added to theKurdish security services. He was a vocal critic of many of the proposals found in theIraq Study Group, authoring a Washington Post op-ed on the subject.[9]
Barzani has also been credited with working to ensure that veterans of the Kurdish struggle who are members of his father's political party receive their pensions.[10] In a January 2010 interview with the Jamestown Foundation, Masrour Barzani said that theIraqi Constitution has laid out a clear solution for the status of the city ofKirkuk and otherdisputed areas.[11]
In May 2016, Barzani authored a second op-ed in theWashington Post advocating an 'amicable' separation ofIraqi Kurdistan from the rest of Iraq. He called Iraq 'a conceptual failure, compelling peoples with little in common to share an uncertain future,' and announced the beginning of talks with theIraqi Government in the lead up to areferendum.[12]
In 2005, he founded theBarzani Charity Foundation inIraqi Kurdistan. The non-profit charity organization provides aid to the internally displaced, refugees as well as vulnerable locals, and is modeled on the life, struggle and principles of his GrandfatherMustafa Barzani. Its Orphan Sponsorship Program provides a monthly stipend to cover living expenses, health care and education to orphans.
Masrour Barzani is one of the most important figures in the international coalition againstISIS. His Security Council, and its elite special forces is attached to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), which has led targeted airstrikes against senior Daesh figures in Iraq and Syria, and rescue missions of hostages.[13][14]
Masrour Barzani is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees ofThe American University of Kurdistan (AUK).[15] He laid the cornerstone of the project during a ceremony inDuhok province in December 2013.[16]
Following a KDP leadership meeting on 3 December 2018, the party's spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed named Masrour Barzani for the post of the region's Prime Minister position.[17] in June 2019, Masrour Barzani officially elected as prime minister of Kurdistan Region of Iraq.[18][19]
