Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa serves as the vice president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since September 8, 2019. He was born on July 1, 1950 in Qaradagh, Sulaymaniyah province and joined the ranks of Peshmerga forces at the age of 19.

He dedicated his life to the armed struggle of the Kurdistan liberation movement and took leadership positions within the forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He also played a major role in the 1991 uprising against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein regime, and in the fight against Ansar Al-Islam terror group in 2002.

He became a member of the newly established parliament after the Kurdistan Region held its first election in 1992, and he was appointed as deputy minister of the Peshmerga later.

Sheikh Jaafar also served as Minister of Peshmerga Affairs in the seventh cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Vice President Sheikh Jaafar was one of the leading commanders in the fight against ISIS and played a major role in defeating the group’s terror reign in Iraq.