Hussein Yazdanpanah

Hussein Yazdanpanah
NicknamesKurdish Stalin
Mam Hussein
Born (1966-04-30) April 30, 1966
Saqqezlu, Iran
AllegianceKurdistan Freedom Party
Rank
General Commander
CommandsNational Army of Kurdistan (SMK)
(1991-present)
Conflicts

Hussein Yazdanpanah (also known as Mam Hussein; born April 30, 1966) is a Kurdish military leader, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK).[1][2]

Early life

Yazdanpanah was born in the village of Saqqezlu, near the town of Bukan. He comes from a long lineage of fighters for the freedom of Kurds and their right for self-determination. In 1881, Yazdanpanah's grandfather Fayzulla Bayg led a thousand Kurdish fighters against the Qajar Dynasty.

During his teenage years, Yazdanpanah engaged in political activities amid the Iranian Revolution, which led to his arrest by the new Iranian regime on two occasions. The bloody crackdown on Kurdish opposition led his family to flee into the Zagros Mountains. Following the death of his brother Rashid, Yazdanpanah aspired to join the Peshmerga and fight against the Iranians. In Ranya, Iraqi Kurdistan his other brother, Said Yazdanpanah, founded the Revolutionaries' Union of Kurdistan.[3][4][5]

Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK)

A few months after its foundation in 1991, Hussein Yazdanpanah took over the Revolutionaries' Union of Kurdistan after his brother, Said, was killed in an assassination. Hussein has remained at the helm of the organization ever since and renamed it the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in 2006.[5]

Yazdanpanah involved his party in various conflicts to defend Kurdish interests and rights, including the War against the Islamic State and the Iraqi-Kurdish conflict of 2017.[6] Although Yazdanpanah holds the rank of General, he adopts an unconventional approach by actively fighting alongside his soldiers on the frontlines rather than remaining behind the command lines.[7][8] As a result, he has been described as a 'frontline general'.[9] Yazdanpanah played a significant role in the Liberation of Sinjar from ISIS.[10]

Political positions

Yazdanpanah strives for an independent 'Greater Kurdistan' and not merely autonomy. He is also vocal in his critique of the disunity among Kurdish parties, saying, “The tragedy is that throughout history we have been divided among ourselves".[4]

Joseph Stalin lookalike

He has been compared to Joseph Stalin, giving him the nickname “Kurdish Stalin”.[10] Russian internet users particularly have taken an interest in Yazdanpanah due to this.[11][12][13] A Russian meme spread online that with a commander that looks like this the Kurds will not only conquer Mosul, but also Berlin.[14][13]

References

  1. ↑ Quitaz, Suzan (10 July 2023). "Kurdish General: "The Kurdish Region Is Not Southern Lebanon, Kurds Do Not Take Orders from Tehran"". Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  2. ↑ Deen, Kim (3 October 2016). "First IS, then Iran: Kurdish-Iranian leader has eyes on ultimate goal". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  3. ↑ Quitaz, Suzan (16 March 2023). "Hussein Yazdanpana – The Kurdish Leader Calling For The Toppling Of The Islamic Republic Of Iran". MEMRI. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  4. 1 2 "'We are only 1,000, but we fight like 10,000,' says leader of Kurdistan Freedom Party". The Irish Times. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  5. 1 2 Ahmadzadeh, Hashem; Stansfield, Gareth (2010), "The Political, Cultural, and Military Re-Awakening of the Kurdish Nationalist Movement in Iran", Middle East Journal, 64 (1): 11–27, doi:10.3751/64.1.11, hdl:10871/9414, JSTOR 20622980, S2CID 143462899
  6. ↑ Chulov, Martin (2022-10-15). "'They tried to wipe us out': Kurds shelled as Iran seeks scapegoats for unrest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  7. ↑ "'We are only 1,000, but we fight like 10,000,' says leader of Kurdistan Freedom Party". www.irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  8. ↑ Garmiany, Polla (16 June 2025). "... General Hussein Yazdanpanah, always fighting alongside his soldiers on the front line". X. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Frantzman, Seth (2018-01-01). "Kurds in Iran expect U.S., int'l community support against regime | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  10. 1 2 Türkiye, Sputnik. "Kürt Stalin: Rusya bağımsızlığımıza destek vermeli". Sputnik Türkiye (in Turkish). Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  11. ↑ "Stalin is back, this time as a Kurdish military commander". Meduza. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  12. ↑ "This is the new "Stalin" of Kurdistan". Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  13. 1 2 Chayka, Kyle (2015-11-18). "This Kurdish Stalin Doppelgänger Is Blowing Up the Russian Internet". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  14. ↑ "Bizarní fotky ze Sýrie: Proti Islámskému státu bojuje i dvojník Stalina". Expres.cz. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
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