Former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani has passed away at the age of 83, Al Jazeera reported Tuesday. The Kurdish politician served as head of state from 2005 to 2014, one of the longest terms served in Iraq's recent history, but had suffered a stroke in 2012. He was "the only president whose death saddens Arabs, Kurds, and all other ethnicities," said Iraqi Kurdish politician Zana Said.
A member of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and later the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Talabani supported various Kurdish uprisings against the Iraqi government before becoming president after the first free elections in Iraq's history. He was Iraq's first non-Arab president and while in office, he oversaw the creation of a new constitution that designated Kurdistan as an autonomous federal region.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘The problem isn’t creation itself’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America’ and ‘Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary’feature The culture divide in small-town Ohio and how the internet usurped dictionaries
-
How will tariffs affect shopping this holiday season?the explainer Prices may not be so holly jolly this year
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
