His father, General Mustafa, was the military leader of the Kurdish Republic declared by Iran at that time. Later, after the Republic was suppressed by the Iranian authorities, his father fled to the Soviet Union with more than 500 followers, while barzani returned to Iraq with his family and thousands of people. 1958, 12-year-old barzani was reunited with his father after the overthrow of the Iraqi Faisal dynasty. Soon, the Iraqi government resumed its repression of Kurds. From 196 1, his father Mustafa and the Kurdish Democratic Party were forced to launch an armed struggle to defend the rights of Kurds. Barzani, who was only 16 years old at that time, gave up his studies and joined the armed struggle. Young barzani left his mark in the army with his courage and leadership. He has accumulated rich experience in guerrilla warfare. In the 1970s, he became one of the key figures in the Kurdish movement and his father's right-hand man. From 65438 to 0978, he became an important leading member of the Kurdish Democratic Party. 1979, his father Mustafa died, and barzani was elected as the chairman of the 9th National Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.