The rivalry between Mustafa Barzani’s son Masoud and Talabani, was very much a feature of Kurdish politics.

This dynamic was a major reason why, in 1975, Jalal Talabani, the deputy to Masoud’s father, Mulla Mustafa Barzani, spun off to form the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK.

Along with the Barzani family, the Talabani family has been considered a leading influencer in Iraqi Kurdish politics and Jalal Talabani was Iraq's first non-Arab president.

As Iraq's president, Talabani was considered a unifying force who could get feuding political leaders to talk to each other. His death came days after Iraqi Kurds voted for independence.

Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, announced he won't extend his current term when it ends on Wednesday. World News // 7 years ago Kurdistan starts voting in controversial ...

Jalal Talabani, who dominated Kurdish politics for decades, ascended to the Iraqi presidency in the post-Saddam Hussein era, and yet remained Mam (“uncle”) Jalal to his people, has died in ...

ERBIL, Iraq-- Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish leader who became Iraq's president after the U.S.-led invasion and helped steer the country through years of insurgent and sectarian strife, has died in a ...

Jalal Talabani, who dominated Kurdish politics for decades, ascended to the Iraqi presidency in the post-Saddam Hussein era, and yet remained Mam (“uncle”) Jalal to his people, has died in ...

As Iraq's president, Talabani was considered a unifying force who could get feuding political leaders to talk to each other. His death came days after Iraqi Kurds voted for independence.

As he stepped into office to become Iraq’s first Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani told his followers, “I am casting off my Kurdish clothes and wearing Iraqi ones instead. You must acce… ...

IRBIL, Iraq -- Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish guerrilla leader who became Iraq's president after the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein and who embodied hopes for a unified, peaceful future through years of ...

Talabani fell ill before the bitterness between the Kurdish region and Baghdad deepened, before Brexit, before Catalonia, before the Kurdish referendum for independence two weeks ago that was pushed ...