@spysekurdo: Najmadin Shukr Rauf, commonly known as Mama Risha (“Bearded Uncle”), was a celebrated Kurdish Peshmerga commander and member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), not the PKK. He became one of the most famous Kurdish military figures in Iraqi Kurdistan during the struggle against the Ba’athist government of Iraq in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Key facts: * Born near Kirkuk in 1957 (some sources give 1955). * Fought as a Peshmerga commander for the PUK against the government of Saddam Hussein. * Earned a reputation for courage and effective guerrilla tactics, becoming a legendary figure among many Iraqi Kurds. * His nickname “Mama Risha” reportedly came from a vow not to shave his beard until Kurdistan was free. * He was killed in an ambush on 25 January 1985 near Kirkuk. Most accounts state the ambush involved Kurdish collaborators working with Iraqi intelligence. Today, Mama Risha is remembered by many Iraqi Kurds as a symbol of resistance and bravery, particularly within the PUK tradition. #mamarisha #puk
