Wasta Faruq Kanarwey

Faruq Aziz Qadir (Kurdish: فاروق عزیز قادر), also known as Wasta Faruq Kanarwey (Kurdish: وەستا فاروق کەناروێی) (born 1 January 1963), is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He currently serves as the president of the Veteran Association of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Kanarwey and Jalal Talabani

Early life

Wasta Faruq was born in the village of Kanarwe in the Sharbazher District to a poor family. In 1966, due to the Second Iraqi–Kurdish War, his family relocated to Sulaymaniyah until 1974, after which they returned to the city in 1978. Because of his family's unstable financial situation, he was unable to attend school and began working in construction, earning him the nickname "Wasta Faruq". In his teenage years, he became involved with Marx Lenin Kurdistan.

Career

Peshmarga

In late 1982, Wasta Faruq was conscripted into the Iran–Iraq War. After three days, he and his friend Serwan decided to desert, as they did not want to die fighting for Iraq. They were determined to fight for Kurdistan, despite the fact that deserters faced execution at the time. Following their desertion, they joined the Peshmerga forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Wasta Faruq took part in several battles against Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party. In 1991, he was captured alongside two other Peshmerga, one of whom was his older brother, Salar Aziz. He was rescued during the Kurdish uprisings of 1991. A day after his rescue, he was injured in Kirkuk.

Political career

Wasta Faruq founded the Veteran Association of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in 2006, with approval from Jalal Talabani. The association was established to honour those who served as Peshmerga from the beginning of their struggle until 1991.