Babaker Zebari

Babaker Baderkhan Shawkat Zebari (Kurdish: بابەکر بەدرخان شەوکەت زێباری) is a retired Iraqi Kurdish General and former KDP politician . Zebari was chief of staff of the Iraqi Army from 2004 till 2015.^[1]

Babaker Baderkhan Shawkat Zebari
Native name	بابەکر بەدرخان شەوکەت زێباری
Born	1945 Erbil, Kingdom of Iraq
Allegiance	Iraq (1970–1973) KDP (1973–2003) Iraq (2003–2015)
Service	Iraqi Ground Forces
Years of service	1970–2015
Rank	General
Commands	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Iraq
Known for	Military leadership in the Kurdish and Iraqi forces
Battles / wars	Second Iraqi–Kurdish War 1991 uprisings in Iraq Iraq War Operation Phantom Phoenix
Awards	Barzani Award Legion of Merit
Alma mater	Rustamiyah Military Academy

Education

Babakir graduated from Rustamiyah Military Academy in Baghdad, in 1969. At this time Kurdish citizens were scarcely allowed to serve, at the Iraqi military, at all. The Academy included the Iraqi Commando School, the Thunderbolt School for Rangers, the Airborne School and a special forces School for battlefield combat. He majored in anti- tank weapon systems like COBRA, SSll and SAKER.

Career

After graduating, as top of his class, Babakir was appointed to Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi Air Defenseand and was deployed near the border with Jordan during the Iraqi- Israel conflict. Through his leadership capabilities and technical “know-how” he quickly raised in the military ranks.

Due to the efforts of the new Arabic Socialist Party, Ba'ath Party under the Regime of Saddam Hussein, to cleanse the Kurdish people. Babakir, who himself is Kurdish and a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), left the Iraqi military and joined Mulla Mustafa Barzani and his revolution in efforts to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish people, in 1973. Appointed to deputy commander, of the Kurdish forces and under the leadership of Mulla Mustafa Barzani, he fought alongside the Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces) against the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein. Their main goal was to protect, the now known Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG), the Kurdish people and their rights. In 1975 he was assigned as the highest-ranking commander of the Kurdish Air Defense Brigade in Amedy.

After the Algier agreement and the defeat of the Kurdish forces General Babakir and his family joined Mulla Mustafa Barzani and moved to the Kurdish populated territories of Iran. In 1979, Babakir came back to the Kurdish territories of Iraq, alongside Mulla Mustafa Barzani and joined the rebirth of the Kurdish uprising. In which he served as deputy commander of the Kurdish Military Forces.

In 1989, Babakir became a member of the Central Committee of the KDP. In-between 1980 and 1991 he was the deputy commander of the Military forces in Schaichān and Akrê. In 1991 in he was the deputy commander for the regions of Duhok and Mosul and again lead the Kurdish Uprising against the Saddam Hussein Regime after the second Golf- War. During the Iraq War in 2003, deputy commander Babakir played an important role in supporting coalition forces in the region. In 2003, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Babakir became Commanding General and Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army.

In the Kurdish war against terrorist Organization ISIS, General Babiker led the negotiations with his American counterpart, the Chief of Staff of the US Army, the Commander of the US Navy, and also the Commander of US forces in CENTCOM, to appease them to support the Kurds in their war against ISIS. After seeing the remarkable courage and precision of the Peshmerga, President Barack Obama signed of the order, to fully support the Kurds and their forces to defeat ISIS, on August 7, 2014. The Kurdish forces gained so much trust by the Americans that they ordered US air strikes. Genaral Babakir led several operations against the terrorist organization.

In 2015, Lieutenant General Babiker resigned from his post after his powers were restricted and his military role marginalized by the new Iraqi Prime Minister.

In 2017, after leaving the Iraqi Army General Babakir was convicted by the Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, who ordered his arrest and the seizure of all his movable and immovable assets. This decision was made out of revenge for Babkirs public support, participation and assistance of the Referendum, for the Kurdish region of Iraq. He was also supporting the Kurdish Peshmerga, in the defense of their land and rights, against the Iraqi forces who hated the idea of an independent Kurdistan.

General Babakir is fluent in Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian.

Although he is retired, General Babkir still serves as an Advisor for the KDP.

Decorations and Badges

• Barzani Award
• Legion of Merit (United States)