Early Life and Influence
I am known as Rzgar Kestay; my full name is Rzgar Taha Osman. I was born in 1961 in the Kany Masy area of Amedi. During the Aylul Revolution, I was a child. We were four brothers. I remember when my eldest brothers, who were Peshmerga, would come back home with their guns on their shoulders and talk about the war with the Baath regime. They spoke about how they fought and how many people lost their lives, which fostered a love for Kurdishness in me.

Destruction and Displacement

In 1976, when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade of primary school, they destroyed our village with TNT. The Iraqi government relocated us to Duhok. In 1979, while I was in middle school, I had to leave school because of the situation with the revolution and in the north. I wanted to start an organization, so I gathered some friends and we became a small group of trusted youngsters. We carried out activities on our own initiative, though we occasionally received messages from the PDK. We published these messages at night and put up posters on walls. When we knew someone was a Baathist, we would send them a warning letter saying that the party organization was aware of their activities and that they would be killed if they did not stop. We also removed pictures of Saddam from school walls and replaced them with pictures of Barzani and Martyr Leyla Qasim. We had a friend who printed these pictures for us. I lost a friend who used to bring pictures of Peshmergas; we would visit his studio to copy more pictures. This was my work until November 17, 1981, when I was captured.
 
Experiences of Oppression and Capture
I saw with my own eyes that during the Aylul Revolution, an Arab from Anbar or Basrah came to the Matin Mountains and killed our people. With what right did he come to our lands and do that? Even though I was still very young, I understood that this was oppression. In 1976, they also ruined our villages, forcibly removed us from our homes, bombed our houses, and threw us into the desert. We couldn’t even take anything with us. They changed our academic language from Kurdish to Arabic in 1977. I remember not attending school for a few days due to protests. We saw how they came to schools, captured people, and jailed them, and how they went to villages and killed people. We knew that our revolution was just, and they were the invaders oppressing our people. This shaped our beliefs at a young age, and we stood against them to the best of our abilities.
 
Joining the Revolution
I was captured in 1981 and tortured a lot until 1982, but my friend and I did not confess to anything. Despite our youth, they had no choice but to release us. Later, on April 5, 1982, I joined the revolution. I felt I was a free person, and all the oppression I had experienced made me want to express my pain, so I became a Peshmerga. I felt like the king of the mountains, invincible. My first major activity was on December 6, 1982, when we defeated a large military force in the Barwari area under the leadership of Shaban Afare. Our success in capturing the enemy and their weapons encouraged me to continue.
 
Family Struggles and Regional Travel
Despite the risks of being away and knowing that my family might be captured and tortured, my father was eventually captured, and my mother and sister had to flee. My brother, who was in university in Baghdad, also had to flee to the mountains. At that time, we did not know borders. We traveled to bakur Kurdistan which is (eastern Turkey) now, rozh-halat kurdistan (northwestern Iran), and Western Kurdistan (northern Syria), without passports, feeling it was all our country.
 
Capturing the Revolution
Besides my role as a Peshmerga, I also participated in educating and advising the villagers and fellow Peshmergas. At the same time, I adored photography. Although I didn’t have a camera of my own, I would borrow one from a friend. One challenge was developing the photos, as there were security controls at all the studios. Despite this, I managed to develop 36 films, among many others, across various cities. I captured numerous events throughout the revolution, and my passion for photography was so great that I even exchanged my weapon for a camera and took pictures during active attacks. 
 

Challenges of the Revolution
The Aylul Revolution lasted 14 years. Although there were some negotiations between the revolutionaries and the Iraqi government, the Gulan Revolution faced no such negotiations. The Baath regime never sought to negotiate and aimed to crush the revolution quickly, coordinating with neighboring countries, particularly Turkey. In 1983, the Turkish army also attacked. Despite this, we hoped that one day we might push the Iraqi government to grant us autonomy or some degree of freedom.
 
Impact of Political Conflicts
We are to blame for the new generation's lack of education about the true ways of the mountain. Conflicts between political parties started, preventing us from properly educating the new generation and separating trade from politics. Our country needs trade, but mixing it with politics can lead to an uncertain future.
 
Leadership and Role Models
We had great leadership during the revolution, such as Idris Barzani, may he rest in peace. Although I never met him, he passed away in 1986. His greatness was evident in the older Peshmergas under his command, and he was a great example like Mustafa Barzani. Dr. Rozh guided our military activities, including capturing 6-7 regiments, lieutenant, and police bases, and thousands of enemies. He was a fair leader, rewarding good deeds and punishing bad ones. Later, Ramzy Shaban, may he rest in peace, was our Branch head. He was pure and fair, a supporter of great Peshmergas. We saw these role models in action.
 
Reflections on Achievements and Challenges
After Anfal, we went to bakur Kurdistan and later to Sweden. We visited in 1993, 1996, and 2001. In 1991, we achieved great things: Kurdish cities were freed, and a government was formed, bringing hope not just to bashur Kurdistan (northern Iraq), but to all four parts of Kurdistan. This achievement had a significant impact on the Kurds.
 
Regional Opposition and Internal Conflicts
All four neighboring countries were displeased with our freedom, seeing it as a threat. Instead of establishing connections and recognizing us as a peaceful country wanting freedom and friendship, they began to create conflicts between parties. The civil war of the 90s was fueled by PKK attacks and conflicts between PDK and PUK, which harmed Kurdistan.
 
International Support and Future Goals
At times, it felt like the entire world was against us, ruining our country without any condemnation. However, today, America, the UK, and France urge us to unite our troops, offering weapons, support, and salaries. Unfortunately, we haven't managed to unite our Peshmerga forces effectively; progress is slow. If we can unite our Peshmerga troops and educate them properly, it will encourage the people and gain support from Western countries.
 

The Spirit of the Revolution
I saw many people in the revolution, but I never saw anything like the sacrifice of those who sold their goats or cows to buy a gun and fight, even when their families were jailed. Kurdish women would wake up at night to prepare food for Peshmerga troops and put it in their bags, never complaining despite the difficulties in getting food supplies. This example of selflessness is a beautiful part of our history in Kurdistan.