President Bafel: Kak Akam was a warrior who fought for Kurdistan

Martyr Akam's coffin held by souldiers

On Saturday, December 17, the body of Martyr Akam Omar, the commander of the Kurdistan Commando Forces (KCF), landed at Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

Military leaders, diplomats from Iraq and abroad, politicians, personalities, and military leaders from the Global Coalition paid respects to Martyr Akam's body at the airport. The politicians present included Bafel Jalal Talabani, the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, Iraq's first lady, Rewaz Fayaq, the speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, Vice President of the Kurdistan Region, and Qubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region.

Martyr Akam's body was then taken to the KCF headquarters so that his fellow soldiers could bid him farewell. Afterward, he was transported to Erbil where he was buried in the Sheikh Ahmed cemetery. The burial ceremony was attended by PUK President, Bafel Jalal Talabani, Vice President, Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, and a large number of government and party officials.

In a speech delivered at the KCF's headquarters, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani welcomed the guests and spoke about the role and influence of Martyr Akam in uniting the Peshmerga forces and even the unity of the PUK.

"I want to thank you very very much for all you’ve done for the Kurds, for all you’ve done for our peshmerga through the good times and the bad times, through the light and the dark. I want to especially thank the Americans and especially the Germans for helping get Kak Akam for his treatment, at the same time.” President Bafel said. “I have to thank the Iranians for taking our wounded to Tehran and saving the sight of one of our men."

"Even here, Kak Akam was able to unite. Kak Akam was a warrior, he fought for Kurdistan, he wanted nothing for himself, all he wished was a free Kurdistan and a united people,” he added. “I promise you; we will do what we can to make Akam’s dream a reality. Wherever there is a threat to our land, wherever there is a threat to our partners the commandos, the CTG, the peshmerga will be there to fight the enemy."
 
"I cannot convey to you the pride I have in Akam. From those small groups of volunteers, he has created this commando force that you see before you that is the dread of the enemies of Kurdistan and for this support, I must also thank you... thank you very much ladies and gentlemen," he concluded.

The leader of the KCF, Akam Omar, died on Monday, December 12th, in a hospital in Germany. On October 19, he was hurt when a commando unit driving a security operation in the Zinana sub-district of the Garmian region ran over an explosive device while looking for remaining ISIS fighters.

The explosion resulted in the martyrdom of Lieutenant Zuher Fayaq and the injuries of Akam Omar, KCF commander, and several other Peshmergas. Martyr Akam was flown to Germany for medical care, where he passed away 54 days after the incident.

The passing of Commander Akam was deeply mourned by his comrades and in both domestic and foreign organizations. Many condolence letters were sent to the PUK president as well as Martyr Akam's family.
 


Prepared by Hiran Halwan, with additional editing by Zareena Younis
PUKMEDIA